Life As We Know It
by Endergirl222
Summary: One step, two steps, three steps. Maybe I'm not Raina. Maybe I'm not anybody. Four steps, five steps, six ste-my foot steps onto nothing and I find myself falling backwards, arms desperately trying to reach for something that isn't there. My back arches downwards and the last thing I see is another arrow hitting the side of my head.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: This is my very first fanfic and I would appreciate it if you would leave a review or send in ideas. I already have the beginning of this story planned but if your idea is good I'll use it later when I'm passed the introduction and all that stuff. Please read and review! Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft or anything in it. I do own my own original characters though. **

* * *

The first thing I notice is the rain. Soft, wet raindrops falling onto my face every few seconds. My eyes are close, why are my eyes closed? I can feel myself breathing heavily, like I'm tired. Am I tired? I feel tired.

Plop, plop, plop. The rain falls on my body in a rhythmic beat.

Raina. That's my name. I know it, I can feel warmth spread all over my body when I think the name in my mind. Raina. This name must mean something...but I can't figure it out. Hell, who am I? This isn't good at all.

Frustration spreads through my veins and I open my eyes. A raindrop falls into it and I instantly sit up and rub it out. My hands are sore, calloused, and raw. Great, just great.

I look around and try to figure out where I am. A beach, that's for sure. There's sand coating my clothes in a thin layer and on my face. I wipe it off and blink several times, just to make sure I'm not dreaming.

_Idiot,_ I think. Of course isn't a dream. This is anything but a dream.

I take deep sigh and look upwards towards the gray, stormy sky. It's about to pour, I can tell, and my gut tells me to get somewhere safe. But where the hell is that?

_Think. Think_. I study my surroundings more and realize that there's a huge forest behind me.

Lucky, I think, then stop. If I were lucky I wouldn't be here.

It takes several tries to stand up. My legs feel like wood, stiff and unmoving, while my arms send courses of pain when I try and bend the main joint. I finally do manage to get upright and take a deep breath.

One step for Raina, one giant leap for my life. I tentatively take a step forward and, when seeing it doesn't hurt that much, I take another. Soon, I'm rolling and the beach disappears as I enter the dark forest.

_This is nice. Just me, alone...in a totally not creepy forest._ _Shut up, Raina. You've got to focus to find somewhere safe. _

I glance around, but there's nothing but wood. What am I supposed to do, punch it and hope is somehow magically falls over? I may have no memory but I know that that's not gonna work.

So instead, I make it my mission just to try and get up into a tree, hope it won't break under the pressure, then heal up and get some food.

_Nice plan, Raina. Except that it's severely flawed._

So...I'm that kinda person, aren't I? The sociopath who thinks to herself a lot. This is comforting.

I push these thoughts out of my mind and try to put my foot on one of the trees branches. I'm not used to forests I think, or climbing. Definitely not climbing. My hand reaches for another branch and I jump, hoping to be able to grab in time.

I'm wrong, but not on my prediction. Instead, a sharp pain jabs my shoulder and I fall to the ground. I then I stare at it in shock.

An arrow. Point embedded into my skin. The only thing that makes me keep silent is the sound of a bowstring being pulled back. I whip my head around and one word comes to mind: Shite*.

A skeleton, bones creaking with every step towards me. I gulp and put my hand over the wound to keep the blood in.

Maybe if I stay silent he won't see me, I think.

The skeleton pulls the bowstring back and aims.

Bloody hell. I scurry away just as the arrow jams into the wood where my head just was. Ignoring the pain coursing through my still sore body I run as fast as I can into the thick trees.

Phew! The sound of more arrows makes me turn around and find five more boned monsters following me. I gasp and turn again to run. Suddenly my mind starts to reel as I trip over a grotesque looking green foot: Zombie. The word makes my mouth open and I stare into the eyes of the dead. It's arms flail towards me and I duck.

Phew! Another arrow it shot and I duck behind the dead being, The arrow barely goes through and I start to sprint again, not pausing to see what other things are coming after me. My eyesight goes foggy from blood loss and I bite my lip to keep my awake. Too hard. More blood covers my chin and I curse silently. Another sharp jab of pain goes through my leg and I fall. The world spins as my head lands on the hard ground and I feel something grab onto my ankle. I instinctively kick upwards out of it's grasp and use my good arm to push myself up. The sound of moaning fills the air and fear rises inside of me.

_You idiot, _I think_. Do something. Don't just die_. Another arrow hits my leg and I cry out in pain. It hasn't even been thirty minutes and your dying.

"Shut it," I say between gritted teeth, and look behind my shoulder. Blood is pouring out my leg onto the ground, making the grass now a crimson color. My stomach churns and I take a deep breath. I can see them, monsters, coming at me.

_Do something_! My mind screams. I glance around for something to use as a weapon, but it's no use. I am going to die and there's nothing I can do about it. I am going to die. The rain that had died down so abrupt earlier has now decided to reappear. I can feel the rain go down my face and my legs.

_Do something_. They're closer now. I look to my left and find nothing but shrubs. My right is the same.

_Do something._ I start to back up, slowly. My vision is getting blurry again and I don't bother to shake it off.

One step, two steps, three steps. Maybe I'm not Raina. Maybe I'm not anybody. Four steps, five steps, six ste-my foot steps onto nothing and I find myself falling backwards, arms desperately trying to reach for something that isn't there. My back arches downwards and the last thing I see is another arrow hitting the side of my head.

**Thanks for reading! **

_***Shite**_**/Shit  
**

**Sorry if this prologue sucks a bit but I promise it gets better in the next chapters! Reviews are highly appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 1: Alive, But Not Alright

**Author's Note: Here is Chapter 1 of L.A.W.K.I (Life as we know it) There may be some words in here that you don't know (Because Raina is from a different nationality, so I did a "translate" in the bottom. Please enjoy and review!**

As a sheriff, I'm supposed to be prepared for anything. Bandits, robbers, fires, you get the picture. It's tough work.

But I am not prepared to wake up at dawn to find someone screaming at the door of my house. My eyes instantly snap open at the first pound. I can hear a muffled voice coming from downstairs.

"Help! There's a girl in the lake!" I hear. My mind wakes up and I jump out of bed. I run down the stairs and fling open the door. The lady behind almost falls forwards with surprise.

"Mrs. Jones-"  
"No time, Peterson. I saw a girl fall into the lake from the cliff above!"  
Her words sink in more slowly than I realize. She shakes me roughly, "Blood is everywhere, you gotta do something."

Damn. This is when I wish Sheriff Andrew didn't go to the city for meetings. I grab my hat from the rack besides me and push Mrs. Jones aside, "You go get Dr. Jane. I'm going to see what this is about." She rushes off in a frantic state and I jump down the porch onto the soft sand.

"Where ya going?" I hear a voice say behind me. Forcing back a groan I turn around to find my step-sister, Nellie smirking at me, "You heard me, cowboy. Where ya going?"

Nellie's in her usual attire, a striped red and black shirt ending down at her belly-button, tight black jeans that go down to her ankles, black hair in a high ponytail and crisscrossed black lined sleeves that reveal some of her skin. She doesn't look my me, not even without her clothes. She wasn't born in the South, I think in the West somewhere.  
"I can't talk now, got business." I say in a professional tone. Nell snorts and jumps down next to me, "When did ya wake up?"

"Guess, idiot. The knocking." Nellie says. I can't do this, not now.

"See ya later," I say and run off. I can hear her exasperated sigh behind me and feel a sense of victory.

As I run towards the lake I manage to catch glimpses of the townspeople going 'bout their business. I'm surprised not everyone is crowded around the lake; news usually travels fast. They give me puzzled looks as I pass 'em and I then realize I didn't change out of my pajamas. Before I can feel embarrassed though I spy the large group of people that have crowded around banks of the water source.

"Peterson!" I hear someone yell one the crowd. A man waves me over. Once I reach him he points out across the lake to a slowly forming pool of blood.

Oh, Notch, this isn't good. Without thinking I jump into the water and swim over the red. Bloody water clouds my vision and I hold in a gag. My hands reach out to feel for something and something brushes against my palm. I jerk back before mentally slapping myself for my stupidity and reach out again. As soon as I feel the regular texture of skin I grasp my hand around it and pull. I know it's the arm I'm holding because it's so skinny and smooth. When's the last time this person ate? I shove this thought out of my mind and focus on getting her to the surface.

Suddenly, I see a pair of hands grab onto my shoulders and pull me up out of the water. My head breaks the surface and I see Nellie smiling back at me, "Hows it going, Matt?"

I scowl and pull the unconscious girl towards the shore. People swarm around us immediately and I resist the urge to pull out my bow and make them fall back.

Instead, I yell, my voice hoarse, "Everyone back up please!" They do and with one last heave I pull the girl completely out. And when I do I feel my heart stop.

Her hair is messy, of course, but a dark shade of auburn that goes to her waist. Her skin is pale, obviously from blood loss, and her whole demeanor makes her seem...helpless.

Notch, Nellie would punch me if I said that out loud. She always takes my comments the wrong way. Hopefully this girl won't be like that. Nellie leans down beside me and whispers, "Do something."  
Do something. I look at the girl's face and an idea strikes.

"CPR," I say. Nellie crinkles her nose, "I swear if you use this as blackmail-"  
"No promises," She grins wickedly and backs up, "Your princess, Prince Phillip."  
I barely manage to not strangle her and lean down until my face is a centimeter from the girl's. She smells like fire, that's strange. Ignoring the fact my face is red, and not from the blood, I put my lips to hers and start to preform the crucial task. Several times I can sense the others holding in their breath as they hope that they're may be a way I can save her. But honestly, I'm not sure. My hands thump against her chest and I put my ear to her heart.

C'mon, whoever you are, I think. It's not right for you to just die without me getting your name.

I preform the CPR once more and put my ear to her chest. C'mon...

"Matt!" Nellie screams and I jump back. Nellie points to the girl and her face pales, "She's waking up."

I lean down again over her face and watch as her eyes slowly open. My mouth lets out a gasp. Brilliant, violet eyes stare back at me for two full seconds.

Then a sudden knee hits me in my chest and I double forward onto her in pain. My lungs close up and I cough.

"What the-" The girl pushes me off her and kicks me in the shoulder. I hit the ground again and dust fills the air, "Who, what the! How the!"

I stand up slowly, and watch her do the same. As if it was just us standing there she runs over to me and pushes me back.

"Arse*!" She yells, face red and breathing heavy! "Bloody hell? What in the world were you doing?"  
You know that feeling I had a while ago. Screw that feeling. I get up right in the girl's face and scowl.

"What the hell was I doing?" I say, my voice practically rising to a shout, "Just saving your life is what I was doing!"

She laughs, a cold, harsh laugh that sends chills down my spine. And it's 100 degree weather out here, "Like that happened! Who the hell are you! Where the hell am I! And what kind of person looms above me like I'm from another planet? Are you barmey*?" It's now I realize she has a heavy northern accent, clipped and posh sounding. And what the heck is a barmey?

"Oh, I'm sorry, your majesty," I reply ruefully, "Didn't hurt you, did I?"  
"Where in the bloody hell am I? What were you doing?"  
"I'm Matthew, by the way," I say, "Sheriff of this town!"  
"Co-sheriff," Nellie coughs from behind. I give her a murderous glare.

"Good to know, Matthew," She spits back, "Now, explain to me again why-" suddenly, her eyes glazed over and she fell to the ground. For a few seconds we all stared at each other wondering what to do.

Finally, Nellie sighed and grabbed her arms, one of which an arrow stuck out. I almost felt a pan of pity but shook it off when I remembered her obnoxious behavior before.

"Grab her legs, co-sheriff," Nellie ordered. I grabbed her legs and glared at my step-sister. She always knew how to get on my nerves. And I knew for a fact she loves to tease me about me not being the actual sheriff.

We carry the girl down to Dr. Jane's office and I yell, "Jane, we need ya!"  
The door opens automatically and Dr. Jane looks at the girl in surprise, "Wow, this is new."  
"Yeah, ya think?" Nellie says sarcastically, "Can ya patch her up?"  
"I'll try my best," Jane says and brushes a few strands of gray hair out of her eyes, "Bring her inside to a cot." She opened the door more and watched us with intent as we carried the girl into a spare room. She frowned when she saw the drops of blood stain her carpet.

"Er...sorry doc," I say sheepishly. She just shrugs and follows us into the room. I see her eyes scan the girl like a machine and her face turns grim.

"So, what happened?" She asks.

"Didn't Jones tell you?" I say. She shook her head, "Oh well, the girl's here now and we need ya to fix her."  
"Might take me awhile," She states, "While I try and stop the bleeding I need you guys to make sure that no one comes here. I need peace and quiet."

I nod in understanding. Peace and quiet is what I would like about now.

"Hey, Nell," I say and she turns towards me, "Why don't ya go home and-"  
"I'm going to the mine," She says lightly, and starts to leave. I grab her shoulder in a flash and she freezes, "Oh, lay off Matt. Ya never let me go."  
"That's because I know who ya hanging out with," I said sternly and she sighs.

"Please!" She looks at me with wide eyes, "I promise I won't do anything stupid."  
"You said that about Mr. Jenkins's pet dog."  
"It wasn't my fault he got caught on fire!"  
"It. Was. Your. Fault." My rage is almost to a boiling point right now, "It's a no."  
Nellie moves her shoulder out of my grasp and groans, "Your a pain in the ass, you know that!" Dr. Jane looks at us with faint amusement.

"Go. Home," I say through clenched teeth. With one final huff Nellie leaves and storms out the building.

"Teenagers," I sigh, and Dr. Jane laughs, "What?"  
"I sometimes forget your still one," She says and I scowl. It's true. I'm sixteen, almost seventeen. Nellie's fourteen but sometimes she seems younger, "Now go on and let me take care of the girl." I walk out of the room and she's about to close to the door when I stop and say:  
"Dr. Jane. What's an arse?"

I can tell she's holding in a laugh when she closes the door

–

For reasons beyond my comprehension I decide to wait in the hallway until Dr. Jane is finished. While I'm trying not to die from boredom my mind goes back to what the girl said.

"Arse!" She yelled, before kicking me down. That part still hurts from when she did that. She called me barmey? What's a barmey.

But the thing that sticks out about what she said is the way she said it, with a Northern accent. I haven't heard a lot of people talk like her but I do know she isn't from around here.

She must me from the North, or at least no where in the South. She can't be, with her voice. Why am I so obsessed with her voice. Maybe it's 'cause I'm not used to people like her.

Crazy people, my mind says. Nah, she's not crazy...maybe. Just, emotionally insecure.

Wow, Matthew...great idea. Make sure to say that to her face when she wakes up.

"Peterson?" A voice echoes out in the hall. I look up from the floor and find Jane standing there, several empty bottles in her hand, "Why are you still out here?"  
"I need to be ready for when she wakes up. So I can question her," I say seriously. Jane gives me a puzzled look, but opens the door more.

"She's awake, by the way. Groggy, but awake."  
"Is she alright?" I ask. Why am I asking this? Because I'm concerned, that's why.

"Alright would be sugar-coating it," Jane says grimly, "It's a miracle she survived. Bonked her head real good, ya know what I mean." I smiled. Jane's real accent was beginning to slip out. I know she tries hard to keep her Western accent with her ever since she moved here, "You can go see her now."  
I nod, then grab onto the door's side and hesitate. Just go, Matt. The sooner you get answers the sooner she can leave.

And with that gleeful thought I enter the room.

–

The room smells like roses, which was probably the healing potion's doing. Morning's light is pouring through the window and for a split second I feel okay.

Then a voice cuts off my nice little world, but...it's not cold.

"Who are you?" A soft voice says. I look at the mysterious girl and see she's staring at me.

"I told you, before you passed out," I explained. For some reason my voice has lost the anger is was going to begin with, "But...it's Matthew. Matthew Peterson. I'm the sheriff of this town."  
"Co-sheriff," Jane coughs from behind.

"Why am I here?" The girl goes cold again. But this time I see through it. I see through her steely gaze and see something that I thought I would never see: Despair.

Notch, who is she?  
"You fell into our lake," I say. Too vague, she stares at me in confusion.

"Uh..."

"When you fell into our lake," I explain, "You bumped your head pretty hard on the bottom and almost drowned."  
"Oh, well that's just smashing," Her accent makes me stare at her strangely, "So, where am I, co-sheriff?"  
"Our town,well, my town. Brenigan. In the South."  
"The South?"  
"Yeah..." I give an apprehensive look towards Jane, "Don't ya know what that is?"  
The girl stares at the blanket wrapped around her and scrunches her face, "No."  
"The East?" I ask, she shakes her head, "The North or West?" Another no.

"I'm afraid what your saying to me is all rubbish in my mind," Her face turns into frustration, then realization, "Wait a sec you were the fella who was-"  
"I'm sorry!" I blurt out. Half because I really am and the other half 'cause I don't need another outburst.

"Okay, okay!" She says, "I get it. Sort of. But, in all seriousness. What the bloody hell were you doing?"  
"I was...reviving you," I glare at Jane as she lets out a laugh, "okay...my bad. Wrong wording. You were drowning so I gave you CPR."

"Okay, well, er...thank you...I guess," She gives me a sharp scowl, "But for others sake I hope you don't linger over them when they wake up."  
I smirk, "No, just you, darling." She glares at me and I stop, "Okay, okay, sorry."  
Before she can say something, the girl starts shaking and says, "Can someone turn up the heat in here. I'm getting a bit parky*."  
"What, your hot?' I say in shock and she nods. "It's like a hundred degrees outside and your covered in blankets."  
"I get cold easily," She said, "I think I do...that is." Jane put another blanket around the girl.

The girl...oh yeah. Name. Can't call her that anymore, can I?"  
"So...what's your name?"  
"Raina," She says confidently.

"Last name?" I ask. Her face pales and she looks out the window for a few seconds.

"Water," Less bravado this time. Raina Waters. She looks like a Raina Waters.

"So, Miss Waters," I say, "How would someone like you end up in that lake?"  
"I was running from some monsters. Skeletons I think. My foot slipped and I fell, end of story."  
But I can see it on her face that somethings bothering her. I shouldn't push it though.

"So, why were skeletons chasing you," I ask.

"I'm a traveler," She starts, and gives a fake laugh, "Not very good, I suppose, but it was only a fluke. I couldn't fall asleep and I went up real quick to get a drink of water. The rest is history."  
"So, you're not from the South?" I ask. Raina nods and says, "The North. Now I remember. That's the country right above this one."

"Yep, we're at the bottom of the world, Miss Waters. I'm afraid that it may take some time for you to get back to where your from."  
"Actually, I'm not really "going" anywhere. I'm just traveling around in hopes of finding someplace to hang around," Raina said, and rubs the side of her head. I can see it hurts a lot, obvious by the pain in her eyes, "Am I good enough to get up?"  
"I think so, why?" Jane asks.

"I've got to spend a penny*, mind if I do?" The girl says. Jane and I exchange an odd glance.

"Excuse me?" Jane asks.

"Do you have a restroom?" She says. Jane nods and goes to help Raina up. When she manages to walk without falling she goes to the bathroom.

"Well, she, is without hesitation, not from here," Jane states.

"Ya think?" I say, "I've never heard someone speak so North like her."  
"Why do ya think she's here?" Jane asks.

"She's a traveler," I shrug.

"I mean the real reason," Her eyes turn stormy, "She wasn't telling the truth."  
I sigh and sit down on a chair, "I know, I know Jane. I just don't know if we should get too involved. I mean, it's her own business, right?"  
"Sometimes business is meant to be investigated," Jane says seriously, "What if she's in trouble?"  
"Get real, doc," I say more harshly than I mean to, "I'm sure she's fine. You're just getting paranoid. When will she be able to go?"  
"A day or so. I used my special healing brews to speed up the process. Once she gets good though she'll need someone to help her get to a major city."  
"Hopefully Andrew will get back by then," I say. Raina enters the room and I realize she's been standing there for some time.

"That's fine," She says coolly, and I slightly shrink down my seat, "I can manage myself. And for your information I am a traveler. I just need a boost, that's all."  
"Huh?"  
"A map would be sufficient. If a sod* like you could produce one."  
"Oh, uh, sure," I stammer, wondering what a sod is, "I'll get you one but for now you have to stay in bed doc says."  
"That's fine by me," Raina says and lies back down. It's then I take notice of the bandaged wound on the side of her head. She sees me staring and smirks, "Stupid skeletons."

"Your lucky," I say, "It could of hit your chest."  
"I don't feel very lucky," She complains.

"Well," I say, "You should probably rest, ya know. I'll get a map for ya and a horse so you can get back to wherever you were headed." For some reason she seems saddened about this, but I shake it off when she thanks me.

"See ya later later, Miss Waters," I say and head out. Before the door can close she calls out one more time, "What is it?"

"It's Peterson, right?" She asks, "I remember some people calling you that."

"Matt, actually," I say, "But, for now call me sheriff."  
"Aren't you the co-sheriff?"

"Fine, co-sheriff."  
"Okay, see you later," The words flow weirdly on her tongue, "Co-sheriff,"  
I go out of the room.

–

I've lived in this town for my entire life. Ever since I was little. Brenigan is located in the very south of the South, and I didn't realize until I was older how fortunate I was for that. How fortunate I was too be so far away from all the war that's going on up in the other regions.

The South is one out of four main regions, the East, West, and North are the others, obviously. My town is one of millions located in the South, and is like any other besides the fact girl's with weird eyes don't fall from the sky. We're fairly small, but we manage, and life doesn't get more boring than this. That's why I love being co-sheriff, 'cause sometimes I get to help Andrew do something like catch a robber or stop a burning building.

Anyways, the other regions have it a lot harder than us. But since we're so far away a lot of news doesn't reach us until months later. So far the latest is this new group of Rebels who used to be part of Herobrine's army. In my opinion it seems a little useless to try an fight back: The ruler's near invincible. I guess some people need some hope though. But besides news, noting happens.

Nothing until now. There's something about this girl that makes me uneasy. Maybe it's her steely personality, or the fact that she's hiding something. But I can't dwell on it 'cause she'll be gone tomorrow. I'm certain of it.

–

8:49 P.M

I open the sheriff's log book and start to write:

_ 9/21: Girl fell into lake. Name(?) Raina Waters. Age(?) Assumed to be 16. Description: Long auburn hair, violet eyes, fair skin. Where From: Assumed from North. Other Notes: Has heavy Northern accent. Is wearing a faded gray shirt, with torn blue jeans and brown shoes._

I put down the quill and stare at the paper. Nellie was supposed to be at the house by 8:30. Where the Nether is she?

Another minute passes on the clock. I put the log back into the desk drawer and start to stand up when a loud explosion causes the ground to shake violently. Startled I fall onto the floor and gasp.

_The hell? _I run to the window and look outside to see a cloud of smoke in the distance. A fire? No, fires aren't that loud, and tnt is prohibited in this town unless for extreme emergencies.

Then, it hits me; The mine.

A few months ago we had started making the mine. It was better than digging around aimlessly underground. Everyone worked on it and we had finally finished a week ago. Tomorrow we would open it for real. Nellie was pretty excited about it, as so were her "friends."

"I'm going to the mine," She said. Those exact words. And I told her not to, I ordered her not to!

It doesn't matter now, though. I know she there's and if this was in regular situation I would be angry, maybe raging.

But this is different though. And that's because she's down there in a place that's just exploded.

–

Raina's POV

I fall off my bed and groan as my sore ribs hit the floor. I'm not totally healed, even though Dr. Jane told me I would probably be good as new in the morning.

Something, sounded like an explosion, had rocketed me off of the cot. I slowly stand up and look through the now broken window. Glass is covering the floor and I carefully step over it. Red and orange lights are coming from a far distance; smoke billowing above.

It takes a moment for me to clear my head because as soon as my vision clears I gasp, "Oh, shite."  
It's not lights, it's fire.

"RAINA!" I hear and the sound of door being opened fills the air. Matthew runs into the room and gasps at all the glass on the ground, "I saw the explosion."  
"Everything's shambolic*!" I yell, and Matthew gives me a confused look, "CHAOTIC! You know what I mean!" He lifts me up and helps me get out of the broken room, "I'm fine, I'm fine, stop smothering me!"  
The cocky sheriff smirks, "You sound like Nellie."  
"Who?" I ask.

"My...sister," He says unconvincingly. I give him an odd look, "Listen, now's not the time for that."  
"You're the one that brought it up," I point out. He scowls and I back down. He seems pretty narked* off.

_I wonder why, idiot._

**_Hmm, wonder what's gonna happen?_**

_*Arse/_**Ass**

*****Barmy/**Crazy**

*Parky/**Cold**

*****_Spend a Penny/_**Go to the Bathroom**


	3. Chapter 2: Promise

**Author's Note: First of all, special shoutout to xxCelestiaMCx for being so awesome and also being the first one to review! Second, I would like to explain how the story is going to go from now on.**

**This story is separated into four story arcs, with Raina's being one. The other three will be explored as the story continues. These four will be the main narrators, but, like, Matthew, I will sometimes let them take over for POV. Each chapter will be in a different point of view I can promise you that the next chapter will go back to Raina and her arc. Every chapter I hope to make at least 2,600 words each. ****That said: Onto the next chapter!**

**Eli's POV**

I hold out my sword and stare my opponent directly in the eye. He's about a foot taller than me, but definitely less skilled in fighting. The nasty cut on his shoulder, thanks to me, proves this.

That still doesn't mean he can injure me though. For the past few seconds we've been duking it out in the midst of this forest and I can see him breathing heavily. Knowing that he won't attack any time soon I lower my guard a little and let myself study his weapon. I'm a bit impressed, to be honest. Rubies are extremely rare to find these days unless you garner up something worth of equal value and trade it in the black market. He's also made sure to keep it in a proper state, with the sword shining like the sun every time he tips it in the right direction.

"Nice sword," I say, "Mind if I have it?" The man growls and I barely manage to keep my smirk hidden. Anger can be deadly in a fight. "So," I continue, "How does a man like yourself get away with stealing that much money?"

"I ain't talking," He says roughly.

"Ah, but you just did," I point out, and he slowly moves forward, "Whoa, whoa, easy there man."  
"Who sent ya?" He asks.

"Your mother," I joke, and he swings his sword, "Okay, okay…Mr. Robertson? Yeah, remember him?" The man's eyes narrow and I tighten my grip on my emerald sword, "Told me you made off with more than ten thousand coins and he wants 'em back."  
"Well how do you know I don't have the money?"  
"I've been following you for several days now," I explain, "You walk like an elephant, by the way, but that's not the point. The point is I've seen you look at the money more times than I can count. And right now," I point to a tree, "It's in there. Second branch beneath some leaves."  
The man stares at me in shock and I give a smug grin, "So, ready to give that money back?"

"In your dreams," He scowls. I sigh and stab my sword into the ground, "Huh?"  
"Listen," I start, "In the time that I've been stalking you, I've noticed some things. Like the way you walk, back hunched and eyes always paranoid. The way you swing your sword when you're bored. Or how you love to whistle loud enough to attract Herobrine's men to your location. But…my point is that I know you inside out, and we both know that this fight isn't going to end in your favor." I can see beads of sweat appear on his forehead. He gulps and I can see I've got him hooked, "So, I'm proposing a deal.

The man narrows his dark green eyes again and says, "Oh, and what would that be, Mr. Know it all?"  
I lean on my sword as if in a bored manner and say, "I'm not a sucker for violence. But I am a sucker for keeping a promise. And I promised my boss that I would get his money he worked so hard for back. I keep my promises. So if you don't hand over that money I'm going to have to fulfill it in a way I really don't want to." He moves back a little, "But," I continue, "I am willing to make a deal. No, let me finish, this deal may end up saving your life. If you give me the money now, I'll leave you alone and lie to Mr. Robertson that I also killed you. You just have to promise to keep away from his home and his stuff."  
Seeing that he's hesitating I pull up my sword and toss it to his feet. He backs up slightly, but stops.

"Do you mean it?" He says, voice hopeful.

"I keep my promises," I remind him. He gulps and stares at the emerald sword at his feet, then back at me.

"How d'you know I won't kill you right here right now."  
"Because if you were to do that you would've done it already," I say calmly. His eyes widen and he finally gives up.

"Alright, fine, I'll give ya the money," He says, and punches the tree containing the valuables. The bag of gold coins fall to the ground in a _thud. _He then picks it up and throws it back to me, "There you go."  
"Thank you," I say politely, and pick it up before hoisting it across my shoulder. He starts to turn away.

"You have what you want, now be on your way," He growls.

"With gratitude," I reply back and make footstep sounds in a single spot. Seeing that he's fully turned around I walk slowly to my sword and pick it up. Right now he's walking away through some bushes and I follow him, "Oh, by the way."

He doesn't even bother to turn around, but I can see his sword his up, "What do you want?"

"Remember what I said about promises?" He nods, "Well, I also promised my boss something else." Without hesitating I drop the bag of coins and run towards him, sword out stretched. The man then turns around and our weapons clash.

"You underestimate me, and I thought you were the famous Eli Brown," He taunts, and swings his sword at me. I silently curse my foolishness and dodge his attack, then swing my sword back, "You really are a stupid boy."  
"Well, I've got about seven months 'till I'm not anymore, so I suppose your statement is valid," I say while our swords clang against another, "But back to the promise." I back up.

"Oh, and what would that be?" He asks before lunging at chest, I smile wickedly and put my sword out so that it goes under his and brings it up. I then use my leg to hit his arm, making him drop the sword in anguish. My arm pushes him down and I bring the gleaming sword up.

"That I kill you," I say, and before he can do anything else I bring the sword down onto his chest. It enters swiftly and silently, not even allowing my enemy to gasp. I bring the weapon back up and study the gruesome scene before me. The once green grass below him is crimson and his eyes are closed.

_Be glad I made it painless, _I think, and start to leave when I remember the ruby sword. I go back and pry it out of his hands. He won't be needing this, I'm mostly sure.

It's near midnight when I enter the town. Soldiers are guarding the entrance but they're too lazy to keep their eyes awake and I pass right by them. Trevale, is what this town is called. It's also where I'm getting my next pay.

I walk along the cobblestone streets in silence. Glowstone allows me to see in the near pitch ark and most of the townspeople are inside, hoping to evade the criminals and bandits lurking out. The only noise that fills the air is coming from my destination: The Trevale Tavern. I stop outside the entrance and sigh.

If there's one thing I hate about taverns…it's the smell. I mean, think about it. A bunch of pigs all in one small building, some not having bathed for weeks, maybe more. While others are drunk and reek of alcohol and puking everywhere onto the floor. It's enough to make anyone sick.

Once I enter the place I'm immediately greeted by several other folks around one large table. They wave their glasses at me and I walk over.

"So," A man with scraggly black hair and the smell of rotting flesh begins, "If it isn't the famous Elijan Brown?"  
"Eli," I say stiffly. I need to go, now, "And yes, it is me."  
"Ya want a drink?" Another asks, his breath makes me take a step back, "It'll do you good."  
"No, er, I'm fine," I say and before they can say another word I head towards the bar, where a man cleaning a glass bottle stares at me strangely.

"You seem a little young to be at this place," He says wisely.

"I'm older than you think," I say evenly, "Codename: Ruby Red.

The man's face pales a little, then sighs and motions for me to follow him. Before I do, however, I turn around and spy a figure in a black suit looking at me.

_Who the Nether is she? _I think, _Focus, Eli. You need to get this loot. _I follow the man down a dark hallway out of the sight and ears of anyone else.

"You must be Eli Brown," The man says. I nod, "What's a boy like you doing stuff like this?"  
I shrug, "Dunno. A hobby, I suppose." This makes him laugh and I allow myself to crack a grin, "Well, he's back here." He pulls back a curtain for me and I enter the musty smelling room. A round table, with five men around it playing cards, all stop to look at me.

"Mr. Robertson," I say, "I believe I have something for you." A man with graying brown hair and fancy looking clothes on comes to me.

"So you got the gold. Three days, I'm impressed," He says, and reaches for the bag. I pull it back, however, and he frowns.

"Not until I get what I came for," I say. He narrows his eyes, but tells another man with a decorative hat on to get my prize, "You play a hard game, boy."

"Thank you, sir."

The man returns moments later with a large sack full of treasure, most I suspect illegal and deemed too dangerous for Herobrine's army. I smirk and reach for the sack. Mr. Robertson puts his hand out too, and in a split second we grab what belongs to us at the same time.

"Nice doing business with you," I say, and heads towards the door, but he grabs my shoulder. I freeze for a split second and look at him, "This is the part of the deal where I leave and never see your sorry ass again."  
"We're not done, boy. I need another favor," He says, a strange glint in his eyes.

"I'm done doing favors," I say. This loot could make me live like Herobrine himself, "See ya-" before I can finish two other men grab my arms and toss me into the chair. I know better than to try and run. There's too many. Instead, I glare at Robertson and say, "We had a deal!"

"I know, Eli," He says, dangerously low, "But I want another favor. And we all know what happens when I don't get what I want." His man laugh at this poorly made joke, "But in all seriousness, Mr. Brown, we need something very bad."  
"Then why don't you get it yourself?" I ask rudely.

"Because Herobrine's soldiers have been getting more harsh, more suspicious of even the smallest activity. Everybody in the East knows that you can slip by their forces without even trying."

I admit, he is right about that. But I am NOT planning to try luck again.

"We need you to retrieve something for us, surely you've heard of the four keys?"  
I stare at him dumbly, "No, I'm afraid I haven't."  
"Well, then, get comfortable, boy, 'cause you're in for a treat." He grabs a chair and sits down beside me, "I suppose you've been too busy traveling to know this tale," his raspy voice carries throughout the room, "But by your age you deserve to know."

"Know what?"  
"The story, my dear boy. Now, I know you've heard of the War of Light and Dark?"  
"Maybe."

"A long time ago, at the beginning of time, there were two brothers. Immortal, they were, and powerful. With abilities so frightening they scared their people mad. Steve, the good brother, wanted to make the world pure and happy, but his brother, Herobrine, was determined to make it harsh, and in his evil image. A war then started, with Steve, at first, winning. But Herobrine played dirty, played...well, evil. And, unlike those fairytales your mother told you about…this one ended with the bad side winning."  
I take in his words. My mother never told me any stories. I can't even remember her face.

But Robertson isn't done, "Herobrine won, plain and simple, locked Steve away for good. Or so they say…"  
"What do you mean?" I dare to ask.

"Somehow, Steve knew he was going to lose. So he made four "keys" four magical objects that could free him in the future. He hid them in the Overworld so Herobrine could never find them. And no one has since then. It's said that where Herobrine lives, in his stupid castle up North, he's going more mad by the day trying to search for the keys."

"Well," I yawn, "That's a wonderful story, I admit. You should really take up storytelling. Entertain the young ones, you would be good at that-"  
"We're not done, yet. This is where you come in."  
_Oh, Notch. _I sigh and sit back down, "What do you want me to do?"  
"It's rumored that each key is located somewhere in each region. And I want you to get the one here in the South."

"One problem, though," I say, "If thousands of people, let alone Herobrine, weren't able to get this "key", then how in the Nether do you expect me to?"  
"We have something Herobrine doesn't. Took out most of my men but we stole this from a carriage passing by on the road." He hands me a blank piece of paper, "It's a map."

_It's official, Eli. He's crazy. _I look towards his men for help but they have the same expression on their faces.

"Uh, sorry to burst your bubble but it's empty."

Robertson scowls, then grabs my hand and takes out his knife. The sight of it makes me squirm, only making his grip tighter. He then pricks my finger and spreads the blood over the parchment.

"Now, watch," He growls and to my amazement the paper starts to _glow. _Soon, lines appear, followed by strange symbols and more pictures. I wipe the blood off my finger and gape.

"A magic map," I breathe out. Robertson lets me go and gives me the paper.

"This shows where the key is. Find it, return it to us, and we'll split the profit with you," Robertson says.

"How much is this thing worth?" I ask.

"More than you can imagine, and it's a crown. The Crown of Everus, they call it."  
I stay silent for a few minutes, going over my thoughts, then say, "And what if I don't agree to this?"  
Robertson laughs, a dark, cold, vile laugh that makes me want to crawl into a hole.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice. You either do it, or we'll kill you."  
"And what if I just take the map and never return?" I say defiantly.

"Oh, we've got that covered," He says, "WILLIAM!" A buff man with steel gray eyes glares down at me and I shrink some, "Time for some magic." The man grins and my eyes widen as he starts to make wisps of silver appear on his fingertips. He then shoots it at me and I fall down.

A burning sensation makes its way through my chest and I bite down on my cheek to keep from crying out. It travels down through my legs and into my arms as well. I feel like someone's injected a needle full of lava into my skin, rendering me unable to move and unable to speak. I can hear Robertson laugh and as soon as the pain started, it stops. I let out a breath of relief and find myself lying down on the floor.

"What. The. Hell. Was. That," I say loudly. Robertson lifts me up and smiles.

"Just a backup plan," He says, "That spell Will cast on you, it's a tracking device. So if you do decide to bail we'll always be able to find you and…try and _convince_ you again." He pushes out the curtain door and scowls, "Be careful, boy. You fail us and you'll wish you would rather be killed by Herobrine himself."


	4. Chapter 3: 99 Point 9 Percent

? POV

8 Years Ago Alpha Base #54

**Author's Note: Sorry, I lied. This is going to be in Halyn's POV. (Halyn's my third new character) But I promise next time will be Raina's then the fourth character. Hope you enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in Minecraft except for my original characters. R&R**

79%. 80%.The green numbers flash on the nearby computer screen. I've been watching the screen for the past hour now. It's taken forever to reach this far into the programming and I've been growing impatient.

_Impatience adjective_ \(ˌ)im-ˈpā-shənt\

: not willing to wait for something or someone : not patient. The words go through my head in a robotic voice. Of course no one else can hear it though.

82%. I'm hooked up to a Model 00398 Hyper Computer that keeps beeping every few seconds. Attached to it are two bright green wires that are also jammed into my arm, infusing my bloodstream with coding and other necessary provisions. I'm getting restless, something I don't like, but Dr. Beland ordered me to stay here and not move, so I am.

Across the room is a silver framed mirror that hangs tightly on the wall. Inside of it is a girl. A small, skinny, eight year old girl with fiery red hair, two eyes, one electric blue, one milky white, and a freckly face. Inside is a girl who is going to change the world.

And being the child I am I smile at myself and see the gap at where my two front teeth should be.

The scientists say I'm part of something special, something great, something...revolutionary. What ever that means. I should probably look it up in my database.

_Revolutionary. adjective_ \-shə-ˌner-ē\

:Causing or relating to a great or complete change.

I am going to change everything, Dr. Beland said.

83%. 84%. 85%. 86%. My birthday was a few days ago. They had cake and balloons and the scientists were really nice to me about my "special needs". I can't see very well out of my right eye but that's alright. They also detected something wrong in my heart but they can't figure it out.

87%. 88%. They poked me a bit with some needles, took my blood pressure. They told me that's what doctors do, study things. Of course they didn't say "things". They're studying me.

89%. 90%. No other person like me has made it this far. When this part of the procedure came they were really worried that I wasn't going to survive. But I'm different than the rest. They figured out that infusing emotions and other human skills into them increase the chance of survival. I'm the first one to make is past 60%. I am a miracle.

No. I'm wrong; A miracle is an event that is unexplainable by scientific or natural law. Maybe I'm just lucky, that sounds a bit more right.

91%. 92%. 93%. I'm programmed to know everything, I think. And right now I know that I'm bored. Emotions aren't very fun so far. Maybe if I think of Dr. Beland than the emotion happiness will appear. But I don't have enough memories with her to really feel it. In fact, I don't have any memories at all.

94%...95%. I've been studying the screen for several minutes and I realize that the speed has been decreasing by 30%, now 40%. Maybe there's too much stuff for it to process any faster.

96%. 97%. I look around the room and sigh. Even this room is bland. White walls, white floors, and the chair I'm on is white as well. I search through my Intel and find that white is usually the color people think of for peace. It is peaceful, I admit.

98%. 99%. I'm not excited for this. I don't know why. I should be excited for this, I should be jumping up and down for joy because I'm alive so far. This is supposed to be amazing, spectacular.

10-$(&%(&#(^# #(#&. The screen flashes and the machine beside me explodes. Confusion enters my mind before I shriek and fall onto the white tile, pieces of rubble fling onto my skin and I cover my head for protection. I can hear some commotion upstairs and there's more yelling. The wires have been blown out of my arm and I can feel spikes of pain go up it. The screen is still fizzing and full of static. My ears are ringing and something takes hold of me, making my breathing shallow and my adrenaline double: Fear.

Fear. Noun /fi(ə)r

:an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.

I can hear more screaming upstairs using my ultra-hearing and someone's telling another to press the emergency button. The lamp on a table by me starts to blink on and off. The computer is completely destroyed, something obvious, but somehow the screen is almost damage free. I stare at the noisy static and watch as it blinks three numbers over and over again: ...99.9.

9. I gape, dumbfounded at the message. I'm 99.9 complete. I'm 99.9 percent done.

Suddenly, the door to the room flings open and someone's arms scoop me up into their chest. Dr. Beland. I could recognize the sweet scented perfume anywhere.

Dr. Rose Beland. Age: 25. Height: 6'1. Birthplace: Annatine, West. Stationed: Alpha Base #54.

"Are you okay?" She asks, "Oh no," She rubs my red arm where the wires were rudely withdrawn. "You're just lucky it didn't cause any major bleeding. She takes some gauze out of her lab coat and starts to wrap it around my arm, "You alright?"

I nod as she finishes wrapping up my injury, "Something malfunctioned in the computer system. We don't know what but we'll find out. But for now I'm afraid your going to have to stay inside until we make sure your not malfunctioning as well." She puts me down on my feet.  
I sigh, but say, "Okay, but I'm almost complete!"  
"What do you mean?" She says. I point at the screen and she sees the faint numbers blinking on and off, "Oh."  
".1 off," I say smartly, "So am I done?"  
She frowns, "No, your not, yet, I'm 'fraid to say. Until we get that last .1 percent in we still have a lot to do."  
"What's so important about the .1?" I ask, and she gives me a teasing look.

"I promise to tell you when your older," She says, and I scowl, "Oh, don't be like that please."  
Considering the stress she's probably been on all day, I agree and stop pouting like...a kid.

"What happens now?" I ask, my voice sounding a lot older than I am. I look around the broken room and a feeling of uneasiness fills me. This emotions new.

"We take you for a routine scanning," Dr. Beland says, and takes my hand. Before we exit the room completely I take one last look at the screen.

99.9%.

–

8 Years Later Alpha Base #54

"Halyn?" The voice says from behind the door. I close my journal and tell her it's open.

Dr. Beland walks in, her soft blue eyes watch me with concern, "Are you okay?"  
I quickly put the journal under my pillow and nod, "I've never been better, Dr. Beland."  
"What book are you reading?" She asks.

"Redstone Mechanics 101," I lie; she doesn't know I have a logbook, "It's very boring."

"I'm guessing it would be," She says, and sits down on my green bedsheet. Most of my room is green, with hints of yellow in it. Those are my two favorite colors because they're the ones I get to see least of all. My bed is located in the corner of my room along with my bedside table and lamp. On the next wall a large bookshelf is standing next to a regular sized desk full of papers and pencils. I look upwards at the roof and smile; Years ago Dr. Beland allowed me to install a bright "moon" as she knows I love looking at it.

"What are you so happy about?" She asks, and starts to braid her dark brown hair.

"That I'm finally able to have some time to myself," I say.

"Yeah, that's always something to celebrate about." We both know that every time I turn another age that all the scientists flock to me for tests like moths to a flame. I'm technically sixteen but if you consider my age from when I was created than I'm eight. Every year is a milestone, they say. But it feels like another slap in the face, another reason to get tested or pricked or sent through scanners to see if my body is working okay.

"So, what do you plan to do today besides act like a teen and lock yourself in your room?" Dr. Beland asks. I shrug and walk over to my desk, "Have any papers you want to give the scientists."  
"I may have drawn something they can study for a while," I say. That's one of the rules of living here, I have to hand over important papers so the scientists can study my behavior. I shuffle through my stacks of paper until I find the one I'm looking for. It's a bit ruffled, but still okay, and I hand it to Dr. Beland, "Here you go."

Dr. Beland studies the picture carefully and flips it over so we can both get a good look at it. Throughout my life I've become a fairly good artist and designer. In my drawing I've drawn anomalous symbols that have jagged edges and ridged lines sticking out, but no curves or loops like the regular Minecraft Alphabet. Beneath the symbols is a mountain. A tall, dark mountain that I drew black just to emphasis what I believe it looks like. It's tall, and looms over rivers of lava and water combining together at the center. Next to that are several more of the symbols and and a compass that has the symbols of the North, South, East, and West.

"So, where did you the idea to make this?" Dr. Beland asks.

"I've seen it when I'm sleeping sometimes," I explain, "In dreams and other things like that. Do you think I should be alarmed?"  
"No, I highly doubt it," She says, and stands up to leave, "Thank you for sharing this Halyn, I promise I'll get this back to you as soon as the others record it in their books."  
"Bye, Dr. Beland. I may go outside for a little while, if that's acceptable with you."

"Of course, Hal. I know how hard it is to deal with being coped up in here," She says. Like I needed to be reminded, "So, yes, I give you my permission. But make sure not to stray too far."  
"I won't," I assure her, and watch her leave. I then close my eyes and the numbers 10:54 appear in green.

10:54. That means I have twelve hours and six minutes all to myself. I close my eyes again and a graph of the weather comes up. It's partly cloudy with a 24.4% chance of rain and a slight breeze blowing through; perfect weather to go outside and enjoy life.

Time to get started.

–

I walk down the white tile towards the kitchen area. Several scientists say hello but most of them ignore my presence as I enter the dining room. Most of the workers are in their offices or doing other things but a few are eating a late breakfast at the long rectangular tables. I go to the breakfast line and grab a plate. There's eggs, bacon, and bleh...sausage. Sausage always makes my digestive system weak and I don't want to ruin this perfectly good day. I grab the ladle in the egg section and scoop some of the protein up and onto my plate. I then reach for a piece of bread covered in honey and butter off a hot rack and put it down as well. Fork? Check. Napkin? Check. The last thing I get is a small pack of applejuice before heading out of the room. We're not usually allowed to take food outside but today is an exception, it has to be. I walk past numerous offices and testing labs, all while trying to keep my place balanced. The hallway shakes a little but it's normal...trust me.

Finally, after a few more turns and walking down a flight of stairs, I make it the exit and greet the two guards on duty, Kyle and Ethan. They're usually on the job in the mornings and I know Kai has a major crush on me. He blushes slightly when he sees me and asks, "Going out today, Miss Halyn?"  
"Oh, lighten up, Kyle," Ethan jokes, and signals the other guards in the control room to open the doors, "Happy birthday, Hal."  
"Thanks," I say. The metal doors open up and I step out into the glass tunnels that lead me away from the base. From here I go to the second set of hard iron doors and wait for them to open as well. Finally, true, fresh air hits my face and I let out a sigh. It's nice, being able to stop breathing heavily clogged up air from machinery and other experiments. But I know I'm not alone. Guards are always sent to watch my every move when I go outside. And even though I can't see them I know they're there. So, I walk for about five minutes before picking a clear spot of grass next to a tall oak and sit down. The eggs quickly disappear in a few minutes and I lean back against the tree. Maybe I'll save the bread for later.

_Chirp, chirp, chirp_. I look up at one of the tree branches and find a small robin sitting right above me next to a nest. My mind instantly scans the bird and I come up with more fun-facts than the number of stars in the sky.

Suddenly, the bird stops chirping and points it's head to my left. I follow his gaze and realize he's looking at the dark forest, a place I know for certain I'm not supposed go in.

Chirp, chirp, chirp. The bird flies into the forest and disappears behind the thick leaves. I stare at the pitch black place and turn on my heightened hearing abilities. Someone is in there.

"Hello!" I yell, and the rustle of leaves causes me to back up. If I try and go into the forest I'll end up getting caught by the guards.

Unless...every year I end up getting a new ability. Big or small it becomes encrypted into my system. Dr. Beland calls it my version of "puberty", but I highly doubt it they're the same things.

And this year, it's the ability to turn invisible, but only for several seconds. However, it might be enough to get into that forest and away from the cameras.

I stand up and hide behind the tree so that the cameras can't see my running position. Focusing on the forest I take a deep breath and close my eyes.

The thing is about abilities is that it's hard to get them started. But once you do it's pretty simple. It's all about concentration, thinking about the coding and how it works, about where this goes in the programming and where that goes. Soon, my fingers are tingling ever so slightly and I manage a smile. A cool, cold feeling runs up my spine and I know I'm invisible because I can't see my fingers when I put my hand in front of face. Without another second passing I make a mad dash for the forest and disappear from view.

–

The temperature drops about ten degrees once I enter the forest and the air becomes more cool. I close my eyes and the number 75 appears. 75 degrees Fahrenheit is what the temp. is right now. Sunlight is barely pouring in from the thick canopy and I turn on my night-vision slightly. The world turns a little green but I can see better.

"Where are you robin?" I say to myself, and use my sensory tools to try and find it. I look around for about ten minutes before giving up. He/she probably left and the base is most likely panicking right now and gathering some guards to come and find me.

"Are you looking for him?" A voice suddenly says bluntly from behind. I swing around and find a young man staring at me in calm expression. He has light brown skin, with dark eyes flecked with amber and raven-black hair. Most of his body is covered in a long dark cloak with golden designs on the bottom. I gasp at the designs.

They're the ones I've seen in my dreams at night. The guy catches me staring at them and smiles, "Cool, huh? My mom made it for me."  
Dr. Beland always warned me about people like this guy. And she told me to run, run and don't look back.

The guy sighs, "Please don't run, I just want to talk." He shakes the robin off and puts his hands up as a symbol of peace, "Just want to talk."  
I stand there, unable to make sense of anything. Who is this person. He's not in my database, obviously because he's not from my home, but there's something about him that's familiar...

"So, do you agree to talk?" He asks, and I gulp, "How about if I tell you my name? It's Kdin."  
"Kdin?" I manage to say.

"Yeah, I know. Weird name," He laughs dryly and I take a step back, "So, what's yours?"  
"Rose," It's the first name that pops into my head, "Rose Wilson."  
"Oh," His face falls.

"What it is?" I ask.

"I'm looking for someone else. She sorta looks like you, but I guess I was wrong. Her name is Halyn."

I feel like someone's cut off my windpipe, leaving me desperate for air, "Why are you looking for her?" I croak out.

"Never mind, it's fine," Kdin says, and turns to leave, but I run up and grab his shoulder. He looks at me like I'm crazy but I have to find out what he wants.

"Tell me," I say sternly, "I may or may not have ties to her."  
"I'm looking for her because she's the only hope I have of finding my sister."  
"Your sister?"  
"This Halyn girl is known to be extremely gifted in the language of Fas. The language of destiny. I need her to come with me to find my sister as well as the Ender Scroll."  
"The Ender Scroll?" I ask. He nods and a grim look spreads across his face.

"You may not be her, but everyone deserves to know what's going to happen in a few weeks."  
"Huh?"  
"If you follow me, I'll tell you. We can't stay here because that blasted base has tracking tools scanning everywhere near here left, right, and centre."  
"Huh?"  
"It's a term. It means they're searching everywhere." It's now I notice his accent, but I can't label it because I've only heard so many voices, "So, are you in, or are you going back to wherever you came from?"  
I stare at this strange person for a minute. I want to go back, I need to go back. But I also need to know what he's talking about, but I can't explain it. I just have this feeling that what he's going to tell me is important.

"Are you coming, or not?" He asks. I take a quick glance at the symbols on his robe again.

"Okay, Kdin. Let's go before that blasted base finds us."


	5. Chapter 4: Time to Mine

**Author's Note: Here is Chapter 4 of L.A.W.K.I. I'm going to be going out of town next week so I may not be able to add a new chapter. BTW the next one will introduce our final main story arc character, Cole Hawks. R&R please! **

* * *

**Raina's POV**

**7: 24 A.M**

The first thing I see when I wake up is brown eyes. Hard, yet soft, brown eyes with messy brown hair hanging over them.

The second thing I see is the guy doubling over in pain as I knee him in the chest with all my strength. My head hurts like hell, and I can see bloody water all over me. But now, that's the least of my worries.

"Arse!" I yell, and the guy looks at me like I'm off my rocker,

* * *

7:38 A.M

I'm in a bed with a nice clean white sheet and the smell of something peculiar in the air. There's a woman and gray hair and dark blue eyes studying me.

"Are you alright?" She asks in a strange voice. I rub my hands against the blanket self-consciously and nod, "You took some nasty injuries."  
My eyes widen, and I put my hand up to my head. It's covered in some bandages. I look at my arm and realize it's also fixed up.

I turn to the woman to ask what happened. Maybe she can give me for information than that sod* looming over me, but I can see she's already gone out the door.

* * *

8:51 P.M

"So, why the bloody hell was your sister in an amateur mine?" I yell as we dash towards the explosion.

"It's not amateur," Matthew says flatly, "NELLIE!" We stop in front of the vast crater that used to be the mine. I let out a gasp as I study the brokenness of it all.

It's obvious where the entrance is because a barely alive sign is hanging from a wooden arch at the bottom of the crater. I guess the explosion must have come from inside and basically blew it's away to the surface. Large pieces of stone and wood have been flung around and look towards Matt, who is trying to get people to back away from the destruction. I walk towards him and say, "What the hell do we do, Sheriff?"

If looks could kill I would be dead by the glare he's given me, but Matt sighs and says, "I'm going in."  
I gape at him, then back at the ruins, "Are you-"  
"Crazy, insane? About to kick the bucket if I go in there?" Matt yells, his voice rising into a near shout, "But my only family is in there and even though she doesn't return the feeling I have to protect her." His voice breaks and I can see something pool in his eyes, "I promised her parents I'd keep her safe."  
For a few seconds we stay silent, only watching the flames dance and the townspeople panic, but then I put my hand on his shoulder firmly and say, "You have a lot of bottle, Matt. Courage. And if your going I'm going with you."  
"Wait, what," He says, confused, "You can't come you still are even fully healed, yet."  
"That doesn't mean I can't help," I say, "For some reason, for a reason I'm not even sure about, I can relate to what's going on right now."  
This makes him give me an even more puzzled look but before he can question me again I motion towards the screaming townspeople, "Your people, co-sheriff."

Matthew groans, then, to my utter amazement, pulls up something labeled an "inventory" in mid air and grabs a "wooden plank". He then puts it down on the ground with a _thud _and stand on top.

"HEY EVERYONE!" He shouts, and all eyes turn to him, "I know this looks bad, but panicking and yelling your heads off isn't gonna help anyone! There may be some people in the mine and I need to go get 'em and make sure they're okay. You guys need to make sure the fire doesn't spread to the buildings as well as make sure no one is injured up here. Take whoever is down to Dr. Jane's office and let her do the rest." He jumps off the block and I stare at him in shock, "What?"  
"Ace*, that's all I have to say," I say before running towards the mine. Matthew follows in quick pursuit and we manage to make our way around the fire. I stare at it. There's just something familiar about the red and orange lights that are etched into my memory.

"Raina!" Matthew yells, sending me out of my daze, "We're at the entrance." He points upwards towards the loosely hanging sign and then points to the rubble below it, "It's semi-blocked."  
"And what the bloody hell does that mean?" I ask, making my way towards the fallen debris.

"Well I would just mine but that may cause more debris to fall."  
_Mine? How do you mine? Oh, belt up* Raina, you have to focus now._

"So...what?" I ask.

"Look for any breaks or holes in the rubble that we might be able to crawl through or somethin'," Matt states. I push a large boulder out of the way and scan the destruction. Dust and smoke are starting to fly in my face but for some reason I hardly notice it.

"There!" Matthew exclaims excitedly. He points to a small hole in the top left of the rubble that has smoke coming out of it as well, "We have to climb a bit, though."  
"And after that?" I ask apprehensively.

"We, er, keep going," He says and takes off. I roll my eyes and say, "Nice plan, arsehole."  
"What the heck is an arse?" He asks as we climb.

"An ass," I say smugly. Matt scowls and throws a small rock at my head. It misses me by two inches, "For a person who wields a bow all the time I'd expect you to have better aim."  
"Shut it," He growls, then yells for his sister again. I put my hand on a protruding rock and hoist myself up before placing my left foot on another one for support.

"Why are you so annoying?" Matt asks, "You seem more like my sister than I am."  
"I don't know. I think it's a gift I have," I say lightly.

"Gifts are supposed to be good," He says and grabs onto a ledge, "And being rude isn't a gift."

"I'm sorry, but this trait of mine has gotten me out of trouble a couple times," I say, and a small, blurry memory clouds my mind. It's red, with fire dancing inside it. I blink and it goes away.

"Well, good for ya," Matt says, "Ahah!" He's reached the narrow entrance, "I think we're big enough to go in."  
"You mean small enough," I correct. He gives me a dirty look and I almost have the urge to grab his legs to fling him off this blasted rubble. The idea gives me pleasure to think about...then guilt.

_What the hell, Raina. Get a hold of yourself. _I pull myself up next to him, "You going or not? We don't have all day, you know."  
"I know, I know," He takes a deep breath and goes through. I quickly follow him and we both crawl in silence as the walls around us crack and rumble. The smoke has started to fade but I can still see the ashy substance floating around. In the front, Matthew coughs loudly and he looks back at me.

"Aren't you 'pose to be coughing your head off now?" He asks.

"I don't think so. I'm guessing I'm used to this stuff."  
"Nellie! Nellie!" I hear Matthew call out frantically, he sighs, "I hope she's okay."  
"Why do you care so much for her?" I ask, "Sorry, I didn't mean it that rudely."  
"No, it's okay," Matthew says, "Nellie!" The walls start to shake again, "It's just that I care for her. She's my family, even though she doesn't see it."  
"What happened between you two?" I ask slowly. Family's a delicate subject.

"It's more like what happened between our family," Matthew says bitterly. I stop, surprised by his cold tone, "Before I was taken in by her parents I heard her brother had recently died. So I tried to stay out of her way for a bit, to give her some space. But every time she saw me she always made it her goal to get me in trouble or make my life miserable."

"So, why do you still care?"

"I don't know," He says, "Maybe it's because I'm hoping one day she'll see that and we can be okay." He stops, and looks at me, "We're here."

"And?"  
"And..." He gulps, "It doesn't look very good." He starts to crawl forward when the entire floor starts to shake. I watch with horror as a large crack appears in the wall and the roof starts to crumble.

"We need to get out of here now!" I order.

"There's lava everywhere!" Matt says, fear edged in his voice, "There's no way we can make it. We have to turn back," He starts to move when the tunnel we're in starts to tilt.

"Oh shite," I curse and shove Matt forwards, "Go, you arsehole! We're going to get killed if we stay here!"

"There's nowhere to go, Raina!" He says through clenched teeth. The floor continues to slide and I can hear cracking from behind.

"Then let me try and find a way!" I yell and push him against the wall so I can look out.

"Hey!" He cries, but I ignore him and search for any hope of living.

He was right, about the lava part. The explosion must have opened up a lava pool or something, and the walls don't have anything to stand or grab on.

"See anything?" Matt asks. It takes every strength in my body and mind to keep from punching his face.

"No," I scowl. My eyes trail from the lava to square rocks falling from the collapsing roof. It's now I notice how they don't sink automatically, instead they float for few seconds before disappearing under the hot surface, "Idea!"  
"What, what idea?" Matt yells, "Oh crap!" The floor shakes violently and I push against the walls to keep from moving.

"There are rocks falling into the lava, but they don't sink at once. They just float for a while and that's when we have to jump."  
"Parkour? Oh you are so asking to die."  
"Parkour, what the bloody hell is parkour?"  
"It's where you jump from damn block to damn block!" Matthew yells, "It's near impossible."  
"Well it's either drowning in lava or getting smashed by falling debris, choose your pick Mr. I don't have a better plan!"

Matthew debates to himself for two seconds while I get in a position to jump. A few more blocks fall down into the lava and I spy my chance.

_Don't mess this up, Raina. _I push against the walls and jump onto the first block; it immediately starts to sink and I jump to the next one. Another rock falls from the roof and splashes lava on me, I jump and shield by arms to protect my face but...I feel nothing. I look at my arm and find that even though there's specks of red goop on it that it's not painful, it's not even making my skin irritated.

_What the bloody hell is wrong with you? _

I don't know. But I can't waste time. I jump to the other block just as the one I was on fully submerges under the hot liquid. Another rock falls and I jump onto that one. Just two more left. I jump again and nearly tumble over but I put my arms back to balance myself. The last rock I have to jump to is already fading fast and I jump onto it. Lava starts to pour over the edges and I glance at the wall where a small tunnel with wooden beams and cobwebs hanging in the corners lie. The entrance seems unscathed and

doesn't seem too far off.

A bit of lava touches my shoes and makes a small hole, I gasp and, without thinking, jump.

My body goes flying towards the entrance to the tunnel and I extend my hands to grab onto the ledge. My legs move frantically to try and find leverage but there is none.

"Okay, I'll do it," Matthew calls and looks up from his lap, his eyes go wide at the sight of me dangling, "The crap?"  
"Glad you could decide now!" I yell sarcastically. He starts to jump across the lava lake and towards me. I use my arms to lift myself up and onto the hard, stone floor. Feeling a sense of victory I let out a small _whoop! _  
_Nice, Raina. Make sure to add this to your milestone chart. _

"Oh, belt it," I growl. Behind me I can hear Matthew pant loudly as he grabs onto the tunnel's ledge as well. I turn around and give a quirky grin, "I thought you said that this was "near impossible."  
"It was a fluke," Matthew said, "Plus, you seemed like a natural at it."  
"Oh, well, um-"  
"Nellie!" Matthew shouts, but he only gets silence, "Damn, I wish we hadn't made this mine so huge."

"Do you know the tunnel systems?" I ask, hoping to change the subject. He nods and says he thinks so, "Good, so lead the way." He walks in front of me, bowstring pulled back, "What are you doing?"  
"There may be mobs down here and we already have enough trouble," He explains, "Nellie?"  
"I don't think she's here," I say, and point down another tunnel to our left, "Maybe we should go that way."  
"That's towards the minecart tracks," Matthew says, "Yeah, she maybe down there."  
"The minecart tracks?" I ask, confused.

"Ya, where we installed the minecart system in order to transport things easily." He points to our feet where small bits of red stuff are sprinkled, "That's redstone, by the way. It's kind of like our way of electricity."

_Redstone. What's that. _Of course I don't say this out loud.

"Oh, okay," I say, my voice unusually soft. He calls out for Nellie again and scowls.

"Why'd you have to go to the mine," He says to himself.

"How do you know she's even down here?" I ask, "For all you know she could be-"

"'Cause I know her!" He shouts, then lowers his voice, "I told her not to go here when she asked to and she got upset. It's just this gut feeling, okay?"  
"Okay," I say. We walk in silence before finally reaching a large, empty room. There are five lines of tracks, each one leading out of the area through a large exit. I spy the redstone Matt was talking about on the first few tracks.

"So, how does this work?" I ask as I jump down onto the floor.

"Well," He walks over to the wall to a few buttons, "These activate the tracks so that they give you a boost of speed on the carts. He opens a chest and pulls out a minecart, "From there the tracks take you all over the mine." Matt bends down and studies the bright red tracks, "Hey, wait a minutes, these have been used recently."  
"Huh?" I ask and walk towards him.

"When redstone's recently used it'll light up like this," He points to the glowing material, "So that means Nellie and her friends have been here lately. Probably to ride the tracks." He groans and smacks his head, "I hate those guys."  
"Who?"  
"Troublemakers. The gang of this town."  
"And she hangs out with them?"  
"Like I said before, she's been goin' down the wrong path for a few years."  
Oh, so that's what that means. Doing wrong things, hanging with the wrong clique. I look at the minecarts and grab one.

"What are you doing?" Matt asks.

"We're going after Nellie," I say, and put the cart on the tracks. It immediately takes off, leaving a trail of dust in my face. Matthew sighs, then pushes the button and the redstone stops glowing.

"You have to turn it off first," He says and puts two carts on the track.

"Oh...yeah," I say, "I knew that."  
"Sure ya did," He says, and motions for me to get in one of the carts. He then gets in the other one and reaches for his pocket, but instead of grabbing something he pretends to take something out and swipes his hand across the air. The inventory screen then appears.

_So that's how. You just reach for your pocket and it comes up. _I decide to test it out. My hand reaches for my pocket and then swipes in the air. My inventory soon appears and Matt looks at the corner.

"What's that?" He asks, and points to a small, purple blob. I put my hand out and grab onto it. It appears in my hand the next second and falls onto the ground. It looks like a blanket but has a hood attached.

"I don't have the foggiest clue," I admit, and put it back, "But now is not the time. We have to go." Matt nods and takes about a piece of coal from his inven. He then prepares to throw it at the button, but warns, "Get ready to ride." He throws the black rock at the button and before I know it I'm slung back into the cart's side. It rockets forwards in a jerky motion and I hold onto the edge to keep from falling. Behind me I can sense Matt struggling to balance himself as well and he lets out a curse.

I grit my teeth and watch as we zoom past pools of lava and tunnels full of different ores.

"What's that?" I ask, and point to a rock with shining blue specks in them.

"Diamond," Matt says, "C'mon, you have to at least know what ores are."

I shake my head and sigh, "Maybe that fall already took what little knowledge I already had." Matthew looks at me in shock and I turn away, "Never mind."  
"No, what did you mean by that?" He tries to move closer to me but the shaky tracks make him stop, "What happened before you fell?"

"Well, um. I told you-"  
"No, I want the truth," Matt says harshly.

"I don't have to tell you anything," I say curtly, and push him back. He barely manages to keep from falling and I watch with satisfaction. Why am I happy? He almost died. I mentally slap myself and take his hand to help him balance again, "I'm sorry."

"I want the truth," He says.

"Fine I'll tell you, but you-"

"Watch out!" He pushes me backwards and my head bangs against the bottom of the cart.

"What was-" I gasp as he goes over the cart's ledge, "Matt!" I jump and grab onto his limp hand just before he hits the lava pool underneath us, "What's wrong?" He doesn't reply and my grip loosens a bit. His body goes sideways as his arm twists and I can finally make out the arrow lodged into his chest.

Oh shite. His brown shirt turns dark as the blood seeps across the fabric. What the bloody hell happened?

"Hey, new girl!" A voice calls out, and I manage to turn my head to locate the voice, "What are you doing down here?" It's full of malice.

That's when I spy him, or them. A group of teens my age with swords in their hands and sly grins. One of them, with dark hair and gray eyes, is holding a bow with an arrow notched into place.

So that's the bastard who did this. I glare at them while he laughs. The guy moves to the left and that's when I see Nellie's behind him.

"Nellie?" I silently say. She looks at me in fear and then to her dangling brother. But before I can yell at her, before I can convince her to make her friends stop.

The boy raises his bow and shoots straight for my head.

**Author' Note: I realize I didn't include the translation for some words for last chapter.  
So here they are along with  
the ones for this chapter.  
**

*****Sod/**Bastard **

*****Shambolic/**Chaotic**

*****Belt Up**/Shut Up  
**


	6. Chapter 5: Everything is Going to Change

**Author's Note: Managed to do this at like eleven at night before I head out of town! It's my dad's birthday and I'm really excited! Again, I forgot to add some translations from last chapter so I'll just do it now.**

***Ace/Awesome**

***Narked/Ticked off/Pissed off**

**This chapter introduces the last of the story arc characters and from now on this will be the order: Raina, Eli, Halyn, then Cole. I hope that you enjoy this chapter, as I had fun making Cole's society, and remember to R&R!**

* * *

**Cole's POV**

My morning starts off with Sam barging into my room. I'm beginning to change into my new clothes and him seeing me in my boxers lowers my already low self-confidence for the day.

"Sam!" I yelp, my voice still an octave higher than any of the other boys I know. He immediately turns around and closes the door. I quickly change into my miners uniform, then yell, "Alright, you can come in!" Sam opens the door tentatively and gives me a sheepish look.

"Sorry, Cole," He apologizes. I merely shrug and he frowns.

"What is it?" I ask. Sam walks over to me and looks down. Sometimes I forget he's more than a foot taller than me. In fact, everyone seems bigger than me, "You look a little messy." He rolls up my too big sleeves and I sigh; Sam always finds something he needs to fix in my appearance. After fixing my shirt I go over to my bed and grab the helmet that used to belong to Sam. It was only a few days ago I turned fourteen and he had volunteered to give me his old headgear.

The helmet is a faded yellow color, and slightly dented from almost four years of work up above. It has a symbol of a pick on the back and, in the front, a light bulb to help light my way in the tunnels. Sam had graciously bought a new one to replace the broken bulb.

"So," Sam says, and his feet starts to tap in a rhythmic beat, "Todays the day, huh?" I can tell he's nervous, Sam is always nervous when it comes down to me.

"Sam, calm down," I say and crossed my skinny arms, "I can do this!"

"I know, I know, it's just…" He puts a few strands of my loose hair behind my ear and I scowl, something I rarely do. He puts his hand back and for a split second his face looks pained, but he quickly brushes it aside, "Sorry."  
"It's okay," I say, and put the helmet under my arm. Sam then pulls me over to the mirror in the corner of my room and studies our reflections.

I've been told multiple times we look alike by close friends and neighbors. We both have black hair that's always neat, dark brown eyes, and pale skin, but the resemblance stops there. Sam is twice my size, and years of working in the mines have made sure he's all buffed out and strong. Unlike me who can't even pick up table properly and is always the last one picked for school sports. But Sam cares, and I guess that's all I need to get by.

My miners uniform is identical to the ones that all the other fourteen year old boys got. With a light blue suit underneath dark blue overalls. Several pockets go down the straps to keep spare items like screws and bolts. I remember Sam having to get the extra small size and those are the times I can't help wonder how we're related. But, I know we are, because we both look like our parents.

"You know what?" Sam interrupts my thoughts.

"What?"  
"You almost look as good as I did when I first started," He says, and I playfully punch him. Sam fakes a dramatic painful expression and gasps, "Help me, I'm dying! Cole punched me!" I laugh and Sam cracks a grin, "Mom and dad would be proud."

I give a sad smile as I remember the last time I saw them. Sam was eighteen, a barely turned adult, and I was seven when it happened. I was informed at school that they died in a freak mining accident and that since Sam was of age he was allowed to become my legal guardian. Ever since then he's never let me out of his sight, and goes above and beyond to make sure I'm safe.

Except now. All kids, when turned fourteen, are required to move to the Upper Mines, where they train to become miners and help the community. It's part of Inferus's, our city, rules. Family is allowed to visit often but Sam will be busy in the Lower Mines, where all the older people go, and we won't get to see each other much. I know it's breaking him inside but I hope he realizes I can do this.

Sam looks at the bedside clock and curses under his breath, "Cole, it's 8:47." He runs out the door and towards the kitchen, "I packed you a lunch!" I follow him into the next room and he shoves a paper bag into my arms, "Apples, bread, the something in case you forgot," He grabs my arm and nearly pushes me out the door, "You have to hurry before the Elevator shut down at 9:00!"

I stand there, unable to speak. I'm about to leave him, the only person I really, truly trust. A sick feeling enters my stomach and it feels ironic that he was the one worrying before. I glance behind me at Sam's encouraging face and then to the neighborhood, where other late kids are saying goodbye to their parents and other family members before they head off. We live in the part of the Middle Mines where the families stay. Well, he does, now.

"C'mon, Cole," Sam says, "You can do this." The feeling inside my stomach refuses to leave. But if I don't leave then he'll get even more worried about my well-being.

I take a deep breath, "Alright." I take a step forwards and close my eyes before taking off in a full on sprint, not daring to look back at him.

_I can do this._

* * *

Sam has shown the way to the Elevator, or the contraption that's supposed to take all of us up the Upper Mines, before. It's not that hard to find but it is far from where I lived. While on my way I pass the numerous buildings and places that keep the community running. There's the Farm House, where numerous Specials, or people who aren't Miners, go to take care of the animals and food production, the Fields, where we grow most of our crops, and then there others like The Forest where we grow trees, Storage Units, where extra supplies go, and much more. I'm going to miss this place, but hopefully I'll get to come back.

Hopefully. I pass other fourteen year olds who are also trying to get to the Elevator on time. Sam always stated I'm a fast runner, maybe because of my skinny nature, but I think my mom was a good runner as well. As I get closer to the Elevator, I also pass City Hall, where the council of seven preform meetings and other grown-up stuff like that. The street is getting more crowded as more soon-to-be-miners are trying to load onto the Elevator. Numerous guards and officers are at the gates collecting I.D cards.

Oh shoot. I feel my pockets and groan; I left mine at my house! And I don't have time to go back and-

"I packed you lunch!" Sam had said, "Apples, bread, and-" I reach into the paper bag and feel the smooth texture of the card in my palm. Relief floods my mind and I pull it out before putting it into my pocket. I then proceed to get in line.

Most of the kids are taller than me, but I can still manage to not get crushed. Finally, I reach the gates where an officer motions for me to take out my card. I do and he scans it using a simple redstone device. I then walk past him and into the giant crowd of kids boarding the machine. It can carry about thirty people at a time, I heard once at school, but now I see it can hold a lot more. It's made entirely out of iron, and has several pulleys to help lift and support it up. Someone yells at me to move forwards and I step onto the grayish/whitish floor. A clicking sound faintly echoes throughout the talking crowd and everything falls silent. The floor suddenly shakes silently and a few fourteen year olds give a worried comment. I can feel us being descended upwards and hold the bag closer to my chest. An officer states that it should take ten minutes to get to the Upper Mines and I hear some complaining. A girl accidently brushes against my back and I feel my hairs go up on my neck. I'm not used to being this close to people. In fact, I'm not very used to being around others at all. I always made it my mission to keep to myself at school, and no one really liked me anyways. I was always too quiet or too skinny to play with the other boys. Sam tried to help but it only made it worse.

Will this life be the same?

"Everyone, we have reached the Upper Mines," I hear an officer shout over the fourteen year olds' commotion. They fall still as he continues, "From here all of you are expected to go to the main Mining Hall in an orderly fashion. In there you will get further instructions. Is this clear?"

"Yes, sir," I hear the teens say flatly. Suddenly, the clicking sound happens again and I'm immediately shoved forwards as the crowd begins to move. Making sure not to drop my bag I just follow the person in front of me as we all walk towards the Main Mining Hall. I want to be able to see what the Upper Mines looks like compared to the Middle Mines but there's too many tall people to see. All I can make out it the glowstone on the roof lighting the path.

In a few minutes all of us have reached the Mining Hall, where the doors are waiting to be opened. I'm suspecting that there's already people in there because I was late to be transported. A woman's voice then booms across the room.

"All new miners please enter the Hall in an orderly fashion and make sure to make seats available to all, thank you." The sound of something creaking appears and the teens again flood forwards. There's guards showing people where to go and I end up getting seated in the back of the room. Seeing that there's nothing else to do I study the vast Mining Hall.

Its roof makes a dome sort of figure, with glowstone scattered on the walls to give off enough to light to see. The floor goes downwards, and I can see dozens of other long rows of seats as they get closer to the ground. I remember learning what this is called. An amphibian? Nah. An amphitheater? Yeah, it sorta looks like that. At the very last set of rows a square stage with a few seats and a microphone stand sit. I look at the entrance and find that they've closed the doors, so we may start soon.

"Is this seat taken?" I hear a voice ask. I look up and find a boy with light brown hair and pale eyes points downwards at the space next to me. I shake my head and he sits down. It's then I notice the scar on his cheek.

"Where'd you get that?" I ask out loud, then instantly cover my mouth, "I'm sorry, I mean-" The boy raises his hand to cut me off and smiles.

"It's okay, I get that sometimes. It's just a scar I got from when I was little when some glass shattered on me. Nothing big."  
I nod, but it does sound big, 'I'm Cole."

"I'm...Owen," He says somewhat nervously. What's so nervous about someone knowing your name?

"So, are you excited?" I ask. He shrugs, "Why not? Isn't this place cool?"

An angry expression crosses Owen's face but before I can ask him about it a voice booms across the room, "Greetings, new Miners." We both look at the stage, along with everyone else, and Owen scowls.

"Stupid Heather Thorn," He growls, "Thorn in everyone's ass, that's for sure." I stare at him in shock but he doesn't notice.  
"Welcome to your first year in the Upper Mines," The woman's voice says. Since I'm so far away I can't see her very well but I can make out her glossy black hair in a stiff bun and gleeful face, "As some of you know, I am Heather Thorn, the leader of the Council of Seven." A loud round of applause is given and I clap out of politeness. Owen doesn't even move.

Thorn continues, "It's that time of year again when all fourteen year olds must move to the Upper Mines to begin their training and learn to support the society we live in. However, I assure you that you will do fine in the years to come and that all of our staff believes in you a hundred percent."

Owen lets out a groan, causing several looks of disapproval from the miners around us. He returns the stares with a growl and I scoot a few inches away.

"As you all know from school. Inferus has lived here for more than, well, anyone can remember. Since the beginning of time, I suppose. And during that time we have become a strong, free place full of smart minds. And, I know that some of you may be apprehensive of this new life, away from the ones you love-"  
_Sam, _"-but rest assure you will come to enjoy your new world and schedule here. I would like to thank our wonderful crew and council for helping us to organize this occasion-" A round of applause, "But I would also like to thank our mining teams who will be taking in the new miners. I, for one, know that it isn't easy." Several people laugh, mostly the officers thinking of old memories. I give a nervous gulp and think about the team I'm going to receive soon. Beside me, Owen's face is getting more red and angry. I scoot a few more inches away.

"-thanks to our amazing engineers, mechanics, and scientists who help design the technology we use to mine." An applause. "And last, but not least, our new, brave miners who will be given new lives in just a matter of moments. But, I have made you wait enough, so I'll pass the mic to our Teaming Officer, Wilson Ward!" A last round of applause is mad and a man with dark hair and round glasses comes up to the stand. Heather Thorn goes to sit down next to the other members of the council. Wilson Ward clears his throat and begins.

"I know, I know a lot of you have been wondering about mining teams, and they will be given out right after this is over-" The crowd starts to talk in excitement. I gulp again an hold my grip tightens on my helmet. Wilson clears his throat again and the crowd stops, "-but I want to make sure that it all runs smoothly. So, without further notice, I will explain how it will work. Number one is that after this meeting is over you will be instructed to head to the different exits in the room. As you pass you will all be given numbers. When you get this number you will head to that to bunker that has the same number on. There, you will meet your team. It's fairly simple, I suppose, and officers will be in every hallway making sure everyone gets to their proper place," He pauses to take another breath, "That is all."

Ward steps off the stand and almost automatically the new miners start to talk.

"I wonder if we'll be together," I hear a girl say.

"D'you think my team will like me?" Another says worriedly. I'm thinking the same thing.

"What do you think, Owen?" I turn to the strange boy. His anger has worn off a little.

"I don't know, Cole," Owen admits, "Everything is so screwed up."

"Huh?" I ask.

"The teaming, the mining, all of it!" His voice rises and he looks me in the eye, "Not everything is what is seems, Cole. I need you to remember that."

"Why?"  
"Because things are going to change, and soon. Believe me. There are people willing to do it and I hope that you're one of 'em."  
"What are you talking about?" I say.

"We're breaking out of here," He says, and for the first time he looks happy, "Breaking out of this hell and going to where we truly belong."  
I don't know what to say. The only world we have is this one, they make sure to get that message out clear in school. This is all we have. I want to tell him that but I'm afraid he'll get angry again if I question his ideas.

"Oh, um, okay," Is all I know what to say. Owen sighs then starts to mess with his fingers, his head then perks up and he grabs my arm and stands up, "We're going, Cole."

"Huh?"  
"Look!" He points to the miners exiting the Hall, "You ready for this?"  
I glance down at my feet, then to my helmet, then to my lunch bag. Am I?

"Remember, everythings gonna change," Owen says and gives a crooked grin, "You ready or what?"  
I sigh, then say, "Sure, of course I am."

* * *

Number 86. That's my special number. I rub the piece of paper in between my fingers and try to calm myself down.

_Chill out, Cole. _I reprimand myself. Why am I nervous again? Oh…yeah.

Okay. The bunkers containing team number 80-100 are down this hallway. I carefully read each sign on door.

81. 82. My heart is beating loud in my head. 83. 84. 85-

86. The helmet slides down my arm and I put it on my head. The weight is a lot more than I expected and I barely manage not to fall over. Once I get myself straightened out again I put my free hand on the door and take a deep breath.

I'm going to be with these people until I'm 21. That's seven years. I'm going to mine, going to help out my city with these people.

I open the door.

"AIDAN, GET THE HELL BACK HERE YOU SON OF A-"

Oh no.

**Heh, heh, heh. I'm going to have fun with this story arc. I have big plans for Cole's team. Sorry for not a lot of action in this chapter but they're will be in the next. Thanks for reading! And I'll see you all in a couple of days with the new Chapter: Rebel Girl**

** -Ender**


	7. Chapter 6: Rebel Girl

**Author's Note: Here is the next chapter in Life As We Know It! Hope you guys enjoy. Please read and review because I haven't gotten a lot of reviews lately. Thanks so much! Also, along with this the next chapter of The Minecraft Wars is up and I hope you guys like that as well! **

* * *

**Raina's POV**

_Thump! _I open my eyes, expecting to have an arrow in my head. Instead, I hear the arrow dig into the wall behind me. Why am I not dead? I look over at the frowning dark haired boy and see him notch another arrow. Oh bloody hell what do I do? He aims the bow again and I drop to the bottom of the cart, my arm over the side holding onto Matt. How I haven't let go yet I have a mystery. But I do know is that I can't keep holding him much longer. The sound of an arrow flying above me makes me keep down. I can feel someone's hand slipping from mine.

_Do something, Raina, _I think. This is so not what I wanted to happen. I fling my other arm over the side and grab onto Matt's hand. Why aren't my hands sweaty and about to burn because of the closeness to the scalding liquid?

_Belt up, Raina. Don't think about your stupid abnormal qualities. _I pull Matt up with all my strength and a sigh of relief escapes my mouth as he flops into the cart.

"Leave them alone!" I hear someone yell. I look over the side and see Nellie grab the bow out of the boy's hand. Two other teens are watching her with utter surprise. At least we have him off our tail for now.

Matt begins to stir and I shake him roughly. The cart starts to bounce up and down and I a sick feeling fill my stomach, "Matt, co-sheriff, wake up! Wake the bloody hell up!" Another arrow is shot and I duck down. More yelling takes place and I shake him again. Somethings not right. I look above the side and find that we've been turning inwards for the past few seconds. In just a minute both of our carts will be colliding with one another when we get onto the same track.

The others have noticed this too because Nellie starts to try and stop the cart from going any further. The boy grabs her hand and shoves her into the other cart. As they pass another track he hits the device moving the way the track goes and sends Nellie flying down into an unknown tunnel. I grit my teeth as the boy gets out his sword and points towards me. Oh crap, now what?  
"Matthew, I swear to Notch I'll-" Frustration fills my mind and I slap him, hard. He opens his eyes automatically and scowls at me.

"What in the world happened?" He asks, and looks at his wound, "Crap."  
"I know, I know," I say, and look towards the others. They're a bit ahead of us and I can see the dark haired boy make a "your dead" gesture. Matt coughs a little closes his eyes; fear races though me; I have to stop the bleeding or he may die. He saved my life and now I have to save his. But there's nothing to stop the blood and-

Wait a sec. I swipe my hand in the air and my inventory appears. The dark violet blob is still in there and I grab it before putting the thing at the bottom of the cart. Now the hard part: getting the arrow out of his chest. I put my palm where his heart should be and my other hand on the arrow.

"This is going to hurt," I say. He doesn't respond and I rip the weapon out his chest. He flinches slightly but at least I know he's alive and conscious. I toss the arrow to the side and press the blanket or whatever it is onto his wound. It's then I realize that on the bottom there's a bunch of odd, golden designs going around the end. Matt's eyes are closed and I bite my lip. The cart leans to the right more and I can almost feel one of their swords cutting off my head.

"C'mon, I know I called you a bastard before, but...but you have a sister who needs you," I say quietly, "And...I'm probably going to die if I can't get out of here so...yeah...I need you too." I press the blanket harder on his injury.

Suddenly, a warm sensation spreads through my fingers and I see the blood seep more into the blanket and wetting my hands a bit. But that's not what's causing it. I watch in amazement as the designs on object start to _glow. _A faint, golden glow that starts to grown brighter the more I stare at it. The light spreads towards Matt's injury and I watch as it goes into his wound with a small _whoosh _sound. A few seconds later his chest starts to move up and down more, and I see his eyes flutter open.

What. The. Bloody. Hell. Matt groans and rubs his head like the first time I woke up from a near fatal event. I put the blanket back in my inventory and turn my head to see Matt's looking me me oddly and suddenly he screams, "Raina, behind you!" I turn around and find a sword swinging down at me from above. I was so caught up in healing Matt that I failed to notice a maniac with weapon sneak up on me! I quickly back up and his blade misses my face by a centimeter. Holding in a gasp I push Matthew into the other cart, "Make a weapon or something!" Matt makes a crafting table and begins to create. The dark haired boy swings his sword again but the unstable tracks make the carts shake. I watch as he struggles to stand up properly and say, "Matt, weapon!" I turn around and he throws a wooden sword at my hand, "Thanks." I then stand up in the cart with ease and eye scowl at the boy in front of me, "This is for almost getting me killed." I swing my sword at him and it barely misses as he backs up. There's not enough room in the cart, I can tell, and maybe I can use this as my advantage. I take a small step forward and he thrusts his white blade at my neck but I manage to block it and send his sword sharply to the right. How did I do that? He scowls, then tries once more but I manage to block it again.

"What's wrong?" I ask to the fuming boy, "You seem a little bugged by something." I swing my blade at his arm and end up hitting it more than I wanted. It makes a nasty cut on his bicep and he winces in pain. I take another jab and end up knocking the sword out of his hand into the lava.

I raise my hands in victory."Uh, Raina," Matthew says, making my celebration moment short-lived, "We've gotta problem." He points to the collapsing cavern and I curse softly, "We have to get out of here, now." Rocks begin to fall down into the lava  
"Nellie went down a tunnel back there," I say, "We need to turn back."  
"Then get this cart to stop!" He says. I plunge my sword in the wheels of the cart and after a moment of screeching we halt abruptly. The three teens' carts continues down the track and I feel a sense of pride at defeating them. Matthew gets off the cart and starts to mess with the redstone.

"What are you doing?" I ask as he puts down a red torch.

"If I manage to flip some of these tracks," He breaks some off and turns them backwards, "Then start this up with that torch, then we should be rocketed backwards."  
"Good idea,"I say, even though what he's saying is rubbish in my mind. Maybe I wasn't a very good redstone user before I lost my memory. A pang of sadness fills my gut as I think about how I'm going to get my past back...but I can't think of that right now, "Are you done?"  
"Yeah," Matthew sprinkles some redstone onto the track and we're blasted forwards in the opposite direction. I point to the other side of the track when it splits.

"That's the track I lost Nellie on," I explain, and Matthew steers us onto the track. I manage to make us slow down a bit to find the tunnel she went down, "There!" We turn the corner sharply and enter a dimly lit place full of ores. They shine brightly and reflect off the walls in memorizing colors.

"Nellie!" Matthew screams beside me. I cover my ears as he yells into them, "Nellie!" The tunnel begins to shake and I slap his shoulder, "Ow!?"  
"Shut it, will you?" I snap, "If you keep yelling your head off this whole place will cave in."  
Matthew glares at me, but takes my advice and shouts for his step-sister a little bit more quieter this time.

"Nellie!" He says. We wait a few seconds before a faint voice cries back out.

"I'm here!" A voice says, and Matthew gives me an excited look. We keep our eyes open for her in the dark but she's not here. I notice a light at the end of the tunnel, only to realize it's the light from the moon.

"Is this an unfinished part or something?" I ask.

"Some of it, yeah," Matthew says, "Why?"  
"Because I believe that we're um, how do I put this? About to fly off the bloody track!" I stab my sword into the wheels again just as we reach the end of the tunnel. A bit of the minecart is outside in the open air and I hear Matt scream a little like a girl.

"I've saved your life two times," I say, "You owe me one." Matthew ignores me and steps out off the cart outside. We must be in a desert mountain, as I can feel sand rub against my skin as I grab onto a rock for support. It's when I finally look down is when I see a girl with a partially highlighted red hair hanging onto a rock. Below her a broken and banged up cart is lying useless on the ground.

It would be hard to miss, I admit. Matthew sees her the same time I do, and starts to hastily make his way down the mountain. I barely manage to grab onto his shirt just as he slips.

"Do you want to end up like that cart?" I say in an annoyed tone, "I know you want to help her but rushing down there like a madman isn't going to help anyone." Matthew shoves my hand off his shirt but continues down the slope in a more neat manner. I slowly follow him as we descent closer to the ground.

"Ah!" Nellie screams. She's literally hanging off an edge and I can see that the rock she's gripping is starting to break. Matthew quickens his pace and holds out his hand so when he's in a close enough range Nellie can grab it. When he does get close enough I watch him talk to her in a serious voice.

"You're gonna have to jump, okay?" I can hear the fear in his voice.

"Are you insane?" Nellie whispers, and the rock starts to crack more. I inch closer to the co-sheriff.

"It's gonna break any minute and when that happens you're going to have to jump," Matthew says and moves his hand out more. I can tel by his tone that he's terrified right now. Nellie starts to swing her legs back and forth to give her some power to jump farther. The rock breaks more and I hold in my breath, "On the count of three. One. Two-"

The rock breaks and Nellie swings forwards without hesitation. Matt's hand locks with hers and that's when we all realize that he wasn't holding onto anything either.

Ah, shite. As soon as he starts falling I grab onto his left hand and dig my heels into the hard surface of the mountain. This gives me a bit of time to grab onto a semi-flat part of the rock and I can feel my nails break slightly as they puncture surface. Beneath me Matt's foot is flailing until he finds a steady place to rest and for a few minutes the only noise being heard is the sound of all our heavy breathing being combined into one.

"Nellie," I scowl, and she flinches at my tone, "You have one hell of an explanation to give us."

* * *

"I'm sorry," Nellie mutters as we walk towards Brenigan. It's dark, so the fire must be out; at least that went well.

"What were you thinking?" Matt says angrily. I slow down to let them get in front and talk better; this is their conversation, not mine.

"I was just trying to have fun," Nellie says, and looks at her feet.

"You almost got killed, you almost got me and Raina killed!"  
"Well, I'm sorry you guys decided to rescue me!" Nellie shouts, "I'm sorry, alright? I had no idea that Ryan was going to mess with the stuff, and that it cause-" She stops herself and Matthew grabs her by the shoulders.

"Did you cause the explosion?" He asks quietly.

"No, not exactly, I-"  
"What do you mean not exactly?" Matthew yells.

"If you would give me a damn second to finish maybe I would explain!" Nellie yells back. Matthew closes his mouth and Nellie takes a deep breath, "We were playing around in the control room and Ryan decided to mess with the equipment. But no one stopped him because we figured since it wasn't open it wasn't operating.

_You guessed wrong, _I think. Nellie's on the verge of tears now.

"So, he started pushing some stuff and we tried to tell him that it wasn't off but it wouldn't listen so I grabbed his arm and he pushed me into a control panel," She let out a shaky sigh, "And that's when the explosion happened. We thought we could take a minecart out of the mine in time but when Ryan saw you guys he panicked 'cause he thought you knew. That's why he shot at ya'll."

Matthew and I don't speak for a while. We've reached the entrance of Brenigan and the air is eerily cold. I glance at him but his eyes are set on Nellie. Most of the townspeople give us strange looks as we pass but none of them question us as we head towards the sherif's office.

_What the hells going to happen to Nellie? _I think. But I already know deep inside. She's going get in trouble, as she's probably the only one left from the incident. People are going to question her and her life isn't going to get any more easier than it already is. And for some reason, I think I understand what she's about to go through; she reminds me of myself, but I'm not like her _now, _Am I?  
Matthew interrupts my thoughts, "Raina, I need to talk to you, now." I walk over to him, "We have a problem."

I roll my eyes, "No, Matt. Why on earth would you-"  
"I'm not fooling around, Raina," His tone of voice makes me jump. Matthew points to a group of people outside the sheriff's office, "That's our problem."  
_Our problem? _"What is it?"  
"It's them," He says, and I know exactly who he's talking about. Three teens, one with dark hair, is talking to another man in a fancy looking suit. How the hell did they get out?

"Bastards," I say, and begin to run over to them, but Matthew grabs my wrist and pulls me back, "No, I have to-"  
"That boy, he's the son of the mayor. Names Ryan. He's bad news and there's no way anyone's going to believe Nellie's words now. He's one hell of an actor."  
"Well that's just freaking great," I say, and look at Nellie, "What should you do?"  
"It's what should we do," Matthew says, "Listen, I have some distant cousins living in the East in this city called Venelly. If you could take her there-"  
Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no. "There is no way in hell that I am-"  
"Please!" Matthew begs, "If she gets caught into this mess further than she already is then I'll never forgive myself."  
"Why can't Nellie learn her mistakes by dealing with the consequences?" I groan, "She can't just run away from this.  
"Please, please. I promised her parents I would keep her safe!"  
"I am not doing this!"

"Listen, I just need you to get her out of town. I'll sneak into my house and get a map so you guys can go. Plus some coins and emeralds-"

"Matt, I cannot do this," I say, "I will get us killed and I am in no way exaggerating."

"You seemed pretty good at sword fighting."  
"Matthew, I can't craft, I can't mine, I didn't even know how you opened up your inventory thing until you showed me!"  
"Then Nellie will help you!" He says, "Oh no." I watch as the man in the suit and a few other people start to walk towards Matt's house, "I gotta go and get that map. You stay here."  
"What?," Is all I can say as he races off into the night. Nellie hasn't said a word to me since I saved her arse and right now all I want to do it give her a piece of my mind. I turn around to talk but she beats me to it.

"My life is over, isn't it?" She says, and her voice breaks a little, "I mean, every time Matt would say I couldn't do this or couldn't do that I always thought my life was over. But now...it is."  
"Nellie..."  
"No, you listen here!" She snaps, and I back away, "You better not yell at me, or give me pity because ever since my family died that's all people ever give me!" She pauses to wipe away the tears in her eyes, "Especially Matthew. He doesn't understand."

"Listen...Nellie," I think of something to say, "I wasn't gong to give you pity. But I was going to tell you that Matthew is trying. He has always tried to be like a brother to you. And even though I don't know what you've been going through, I wish I do."  
"Huh?" Nellie gives me a confused look.

"I can't remember anything about myself, or my past," I explain, "Before I fell off that cliff I woke up on this beach with only my name. Hell, I even almost died. I wish I could remember if I loved somebody or if I lost someone, because all I want right is my memories. I want a piece of myself to be able to hold onto."  
"You never told me that,"I hear a voice say behind me; It's Matt. He walks over to us and hands me the map.

"To be fair, I've only known you for about thirteen hours," I joke dryly, "Matt-"  
"I know, you can't do this," He sighs, "I am so going to regret this."

Huh? "Regret what?"  
"I left a note saying Nellie ran away and I'm going after her."

"Co-sheriff Matthew. A member of the law, just lied to his people about helping a wanted escape." I see Nellie flinch at the word "wanted."

"Yeah. But it's not just that I need to help you guys. I can't do anything here, nothing, and I feel like there's something I need to do with my life besides stay here until I die."

"Really?" I say, "I guess we all have something we want right now."  
"You know what I want?" Nellie grumbles. We look at her, "To get the hell outta here. We don't have all day, ya know."

I hold up the map and watch as the moonlight pours onto the brown paper, "Then lets go."

**Hope you guys enjoyed! Next week the next chapter Chapter 7: Surprise Rescue, will be up!**

**-Ender**


	8. Chapter 7: Surprise Rescue

**Author's Note: Here's Chapter 7 of Life As We Know It. Hope you guys enjoy! Read and Review Please! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in Minecraft nor do I own Minecraft but I do own my original characters (Raina, Matt, etc) **

**Eli's POV**

I stop my horse in front of the pond and get out my empty glass bottle. For the past few days I've been doing nothing but blindly following a stupid piece of paper through a never ending half-desert half-forest. The sun has been relentless and this small piece of water may be my only hope.

Sighing, I bend down next to the water and can't help but stare at my reflection. I remember once, a long time ago, after my dad had taught me how to fight, he had allowed me to wash up at the spring. That was years ago, and since then I've never really studied my appearance. We looked nothing alike, with me having silvery blond hair that looks scraggly and full of dirt, bluish-gray eyes that makes my face seem even more cold, and a sunburn from being outside too much. He said that I looked more like my mom, but I never met her so I wouldn't know.

After I take a sip of water I put the bottle away and start to make a fire. Just because it's more than 100 degrees I need to cook some food, plus it's almost dusk and I really don't want to run into any monsters tonight. On any other normal day I would just hide in the trees but since I'm in the middle of nowhere, there's no one to hide from.

I take out the flint and steel and try to get a flare going, but my hands are too tired and I can feel my eyes slipping downwards. Sleep hasn't been part of my schedule, as I've had to pass through dangerous territory. Hah! Dangerous territory sounds so weird to describe this place. There's a reason why I started doing business here, it's empty, vast, but also free from Herobrine's extending forces. Last time I heard he was trying to take over the South, but for what reason? There's nothing but sand and scattered little towns with tight-knit communities. Maybe Robertson was right and he has gone mad in his little castle of his.

_Maybe you should just go to sleep, _my sub-conscience tells me. But I can't go to sleep, not with knowing I could end up getting shot to death by a skeleton or devoured by a zombie. So with one last weak try I rub the flint and steel together. A small, but very much alive flame appears and I shove it into the pile of wood I've scavenged. I put some raw beef on the spit, but before I can fully cook it exhaustion takes over and I fall asleep.

–

"Tie 'em up!" The voice is faint and coming from my left, but it's enough to get me up. My eyes snap open and I push myself up off the ground. Mind groggy I hear another command, "Make sure to grab the girl!"

The girl? I rub my eyes and yawn, then shut my mouth. There are people here. Like actual, real life people that could kill me. I grab my ruby sword and smash the man-made firepit under my boot, making sure to extinguish any ember left. The meat is burnt and I toss it aside.

"Mom!" I hear a girl shriek, her voice sounding oddly familiar, "Please let go!" I raise my sword and listen for more voices.

"Calm, down, Mrs," The voice from before says again, "We just want your things and then we'll be on our way." I creep through the night towards the noise, my breathing shallow. One of the voices has a torch, making the scene easier to see. I hide behind the tree and watch.

There are five men, all tall and brooding, with swords hanging at their belts. The tallest, and the one most likely in charge, is holding a woman with dark brown hair and blue eyes by the throat with his dagger.

_Bandits,_ my mind, now clear of any sleepiness, states. Bandits for sure, I know the South has some but it's the middle of nowhere! The woman is wearing a fancy green dress with a red robe on and I can tell by her fearful expression that something else is wrong.

"Let me go!" Another voice yells out, and my head turns to see a girl with blond hair and green eyes fight against the man holding her. She doesn't look a bit angry, only scared, and her lip quivers a bit.

She looks to be fifteen or fourteen, and her face is red, making her pale freckles stand out. I inch closer from behind the tree and watch as the other men begin to take some chests from the carriage.

"Royalty," I breathe out. Why the nether would royalty be traveling here, of all places? The men load the chests on a rickety cart and the tallest man laughs.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" He asks, and his face goes next to the woman. I notice her nose crinkle as she takes in his bad breath. The dagger rubs against her skin, "Now, the matter of what to do with ya  
"I suggest keeping them," One of the other men says, and strokes the blond hair girl's face. She closes her eyes and looks like she's going to cry. My grip tightens on my sword but I don't dare to move, "Ya know, for a little...entertainment." She lets out a sob and I see the older woman yell for him to stop.

"I'll give you anything, just don't hurt her," She says sternly, "Emily, listen to me, you're going to be alright."

Emily, so that's her name. I watch as Emily nods shakily at her supposed mother's words. The older woman turns to the man holding her hostage and says, "What do you want with me?"  
"Oh, I don't know," The tall man teases, his black eyes glinting in the moonlight like two onyxs, "Maybe a night or two with me? A little something with some others?" A disgusting feeling fills my stomach, or maybe that's because I haven't eaten anything for a while.  
The woman gulps, then looks at the girl and nods slowly. The girl's eyes widen and she fights back against her captor.

"Let me go, please!" She yells hopelessly, and the man growls. I watch as he moves his hand up her arm to her neck...

"HEY!" I shout. Oh, dear Notch what the nether am I doing? All the mens' repugnant faces turn towards me and I glare at them, "What do you think your doing?" What the hell am _I_ doing?

The leader gives a cold laugh, and pushes the mother into the arms of another man. He then sticks out his dagger and starts to walk towards me. I hold out my own weapon and walk forwards as well.

"Well," I say, "I'm still waiting for an answer." His black eyes trail down to my sword.

"We're just having a little fun," He says, and waves his dagger at the two captives, "You want to join."  
I look at Emily and scowl, "In your dreams, pretty boy." This makes his face go red and he starts to advance, "Let them go, now."  
"And why do you care?" He asks. I take a step back and study the way he walks. Left right first, then right, left, then right. His main fighting arm is his right, mine is left. He uses his left to physically fight, then. I'm not very strong, I admit, and that could be a problem.

"Because," I say, still studying his posture. He walks upright and his back doesn't hunch one bit, meaning that he can be prideful about the way he looks, "What your doing is wrong."

"And what would know about that?" He says. I glance at the girl whose face is a mix between relief and surprise. I then look at the mother. She still seems so familiar...

_Eli! Dude with dagger coming at you! _My mind screams. I focus on the man again and watch as he comes closer.

"So," I say, "What's your backstory? Everyone has one.

"But they're all the same," The man says. He's right; death, killing, avenging someone. I've heard them all. But that's what makes me special, I'm not like the rest.

"You wanna hear mine?" I ask. The man nods.

"Surprise me," He says lightly.

"I was raised by a single father, who taught his son to be a killing machine. I fight for my life everyday and yet no one seems to care who I really am. He's dead, but from sickness and we were never really close. And right now I am searching for the Crown of Everus." I'm only a few yards away and our gaze isn't breaking any time soon, "So, there." My hand tips slightly and I watch as the moonlight causes his eyes to squint. He glares at me and points his sword upwards.

"Your about to get into a fight ya can't win," He says. I only nod and out the corner of my vision the girl gulps. I feel like gulping now. We circle one another for a few seconds before I realize that if I don't do something soon somethings going to happen to Emily.

However before I can make my next move the man lunges at me. I instantly back away and before any of us know it we're engaging in a fight. He swings his sword at my leg and I block it swiftly before he takes another jab. Using my fast reflexes I swing my sword to his left, making him go right, and then put out right leg and kick him in the arm. He backs down and to my worry, the two men that are free of royalty start to advance.

"Don't," The leader orders, and they stop. He then proceeds to attack and I barely dodge his lightening fast sword. The two weapons make a loud clang as they hit and I put pressure on my side. With my heels dug in to the ground I bring back my sword and he takes this moment to give me a good cut to the leg. I bite my lip and watch as he swings again. Moving to the right I ignore the pain and step on his foot and watch with satisfaction as he scowls. His sword moves to cut off my ankle but I bring down my sword and block his path.

"Who are you?" He asks, "Your just a boy and your fighting like a man." I take this time to use my left leg to kick him in the behind. He stumbles forwards and I hit his arm with my sword, making a clean gash across his shoulder. Rage floods his face and he jumps at me, sword up. I raise my sword horizontally and his sword pushes mine down slightly. He leans towards me, and seeing that I'm going down he grins.

"Your Eli Brown," He realizes, and his voice goes quiet "This'll be one hell of a story to tell to my friends. Rodan Emeul killed the famous Eli Brown."  
"Nope, uh, sorry," I say jokingly, but in reality my arms feel like their breaking from the stress of having a 300 pound guy leaning on them.  
"Huh?" He says, and I purposely lean back more.

"If your going to tell a story, make sure to get the facts right. I'm not famous, I'm infamous," I say, and before he knows it I buckles under his pressure and fall to the ground. In a split second before he can raise his sword to deliver the death blow I roll over to my right, raise my sword, and swing at his head. The blade enters his neck in a swift manner and I can hear Emily gasp. Roden's eyes glaze over and I don't even look at his head falls to the ground.

Instead, I turn to the men holding the woman and hold up my sword, blood making the ruby shine even more, "Who's next, unless you all will kindly care to leave." My emphasis on "leave" makes them roughly let go of the royals and run away in the black night. With no more threats I turn my attention to the bleeding wound on my leg and frown; this will affect my journey more than I expected.

"Are you alright?" I turn to the owner of the voice and find the girl named Emily standing there, a look of sympathy on her face instead of fear now. I scowl and ignore her, but she comes closer and studies the wound, "Ouch, that must hurt."  
No shit it hurts, I think. I take out a some rags from my inventory and wrap them around the cut, then flick my sword casually to get the blood off. Out of the corner of my eye I see Emily grimace at the sight.

"Mother!" She yells and her mother scrambles over to me. Great, now how am I going to get our of here? The mom gasps at my injury and tries to touch it but I move back.

"No, I'm fine, really," I stammer, "I just need to go."  
"I know you," The woman says, eyes wide, "I know you."  
Uh. I back away some more and say, "Sorry, uh, but I don't know...you."  
Emily looks at her mother in confusion, "Mother, what are you talking about?"  
"Yeah, uh, listen I have to go," I say, but the woman grabs my wrist.

"What's your name?" She asks.

Don't tell her. Don't tell her. "Eli...Elijah actually. Eli...Brown."  
The woman lets go of my hand and I put it behind my back; Who is this person?

"I'm Elizabeth Treon," The woman says, "Sixteen years ago, in me and my husbands home, our son was stolen from us by a man named Montgomery Reed."

An icy feeling crawls goes through my veins and I close my eyes, "Montgmery Reed was the name of my father." The words feel so weird on my tongue.

"He...was your father?" The woman says in disbelief, "How old are you?"  
"Seventeen." I answer, "I'm turning eighteen on-"

"The sixteenth of the tenth month," She finishes. I tilt the sword more towards her but she doesn't notice.

"How do you know that," I say, my voice surprisingly calm, my feet making me back away.

"Because our son was your age when he was taken. He was born on your birthday," Her voice becomes excited, becomes...happy.

"You must me mistaken," I say, and she shakes her head, "I'm no royal."  
But the woman is oblivious to my words and grabs Emily's arm. She moves the girl more towards me and says, "This is Emily. Emily, this is your brother, Eli Brown, well, his real name isn't that but we'll get to that later." The girl looks at me, her hair shielding her from her mothers' gaze, but I can tell what she's thinking, it's what every person has on their face when they meet me. When they know who I am.

"You're Eli Brown," Roden said. He said it loud enough for Emily to hear.

And now she knows she's the brother of me, Eli Brown, a wanted criminal.

**Thnx for reading! **

**-Ender**


End file.
